


War In Our Hearts

by USMCgirl



Category: Call of Duty
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-09
Updated: 2015-03-09
Packaged: 2018-03-17 03:43:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 31,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3514100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/USMCgirl/pseuds/USMCgirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Emma gets transferred to Task Force 141 with her friend Ashton Shepherd (General Shepherd's daughter) to help find Makorav and stop the war. But what happens when she falls in love with her captain? Ghost lives through the mission Loose Ends.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

I took a deep breath as I aimed at the man-shaped target. Gun powder hung in the air as the echo of my shots rang through the long room. My eight years in the Marines gave me great aim and training, but shooting was a great way for me to pass time. And let's be honest, I was a little out of practice. After my two terms in the Corps, I was assigned a spot in the C.I.A. I have been sent out on undercover missions a lot, but after the recent shooting in the Russian airport, the missions have stopped. I felt stir crazy, not being able to fight. I hated being useless.

As I reloaded my pistol, I began thinking about everything leading up to where I was now. How my friend Ashton Shepherd went into the army right out of high school, and I to the Marines. We swore to always keep in touch, but now the letters have stopped coming and I feared the worst. Her father, General Shepherd, wasn't the kind of man that would be willing to let me know if something had happened to his daughter. We weren't on the best of terms and the thought of that man made me sick. I aimed again and shot my last few rounds, and with my lack of concentration, I managed to miss my target on a couple of shots. I cursed myself for letting my mind wonder during training.

I glanced up at the clock and saw that I was going to miss lunch if I didn't leave soon. I sighed in defeat and set the gun on the table behind me and made my way to the door. As I walked out of the shooting range, a man bumped into me, nearly knocking me to the ground.

"Sorry." I said as I tried to side step him.

"Are you Special Agent Miller?" he asked as he grabbed my arm.

"Yes, why?" I asked as I glared and pulled my arm away from his tight grip.

"General Shepherd sent me to tell you to go meet with him. He wants to see you in the debriefing room a.s.a.p." the man said as he turned away. I felt as if someone doused me with ice water. I've talked to General Shepherd before, and I wasn't looking forward to another encounter. Of course he never really liked me, or his own daughter for that matter, so if he wanted to see me, it had to be important.

I changed direction and made my way to the briefing room. When I got there, General Shepherd was sitting at the long table, smoking a cigar with files in front of him. The sight of him filled me with dread. I knocked and he looked up.

"Special Agent Miller, come in. We have things to discuss and I want to get this shit over with. Shut the door." I did as I was told and stood in front of him on the other side of the table.

"Fuck formalities, I'm going to get straight to the point. I'm in need of extra hands, Miller. The Russians are pissed off over the shooting in the airport and they want blood. Now, I only settle for the best. I expect nothing but perfection. I've looked at your file and you seem to actually meet my standards. You were a combat engineer in the Marine Corps, correct?"

"Yes, sir."

"That's good, I need that. As I said, I demand nothing but perfection. I have a task force that needs somebody with the skills that you can provide, are you willing to do this? It won't be easy."

"I'm ready. sir."

"Good to hear, Miller. Now, I'm sending you with a new agent who I believe could do some good as a medic. Her name is Ashton Shepherd. I'm sure you remember her, Miller. I've sent-"

"Ashton is coming?" I blurted out without thinking. A jolt of excitement ran through me.

Shepherd glared. "Did I stutter, Miller?"

"No, sir." I said as I clenched my teeth and cursed myself for making such a petty mistake.

"Good. I'd hate to repeat myself. Now, as I was saying, I've sent your files to Captain Mactavish and he liked what he saw, so you are officially being reassigned to Task Force 141. Your plane leaves in 0600 hours, understood?"

"Yes. sir."

"Good. You're dismissed."


	2. Chapter 2

Packing didn't take long. I had a few pictures and my closet wasn't much of anything. I grabbed my camo fatigues and some casual clothes I had for my days off. I sighed as I folded my clothes and glanced at the pictures on my nightstand. There was one of my brother Mark with his wife, Katie, and their now three year old son, Gage, on the night he was born, there was another with my parents, Mark and I on the day I graduated Parris Island. The other few were just random pictures of my family they sent me since I've been gone. A pang of loneliness shot through me as I thought of my family. I missed them. I took a deep breath and finished getting everything ready. I couldn't let my emotions get the best of me.

Glancing at my watch, I realized I only had fifteen minutes left to meet General Shepherd and Ashton. Something didn't feel right about this. I've been out of the Marines for awhile and all of a sudden General Shepherd needs me to join his task force. And the last time I checked, he wasn't fond of me or Ashton. So why go through all the trouble of sending us to Task Force 141? From what I've heard, this wasn't some group of men that General Shepherd threw together for the hell of it. These guys were well-trained soldiers, the best out there. General Shepherd wasn't exaggerating when he told me he wanted perfection. This team worked with precision. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous.

I walked out of my room, bag in hand. I made my way outside to meet them by the plane. I had my long, black hair in a tight bun. I wore black dress pants with a silver blouse that made my grey eyes appear lighter and a pair of flats. They're easier to walk in and I hated heels. Of course, I looked more like an agent than a soldier but I wasn't exactly sure what to wear in this situation. When I got there, Ashton was standing with a man I assumed to be the pilot. Her dirty blond hair was up like mine and she wore something similar so I felt more at ease. Ashton noticed me and smiled.

"Emma, its been too long." she said.

"Long time, no see." I replied with a laugh.

"This our pilot, Nikolai." she gestured toward the man.

"Hello Special Agent Miller. It is a pleasure to meet you." he said with a Russian accent.

"Hi, and just call me Emma. I'm not one for formalities." I replied with a smile.

"Very well."

Then General Shepherd walked up to us.

"Alright, it's time for you to leave. Nikolai, give these files to Captain Mactavish." he handed the files to the Russian pilot and turned to us. "He will give you orders when you get there. Understood?"

"Yes, sir." we said.

"Good. Wrap it up and head out." General Shepherd turned and left. We boarded the plane and took off.

"Nervous?" Ashton asked. I looked at her and noticed her green eyes were filled with fear.

"Kinda." I said truthfully. "I've heard great things about this team. I'm not sure I actually belong there."

"And of course its mostly men that make up the squad."

"You think they'll hate us for being females?" I asked.

"I'm nervous that they won't expect much and then be proven right."

"Well, we'll just have to prove them wrong."

P.O.V. Soap

I sighed and looked at the files General Shepherd sent me again. I had no idea why General Shepherd was sending another medic and a combat engineer who was assigned to the C.I.A. We already had a medic and one female was enough. Not that I was against having women here, I was concerned with the way they would be treated by some of the men. Three women on a base full of men usually spelled trouble, but I had faith in my men to be professional and not cause problems. What I didn't understand was why send another medic and a combat engineer who was a few years out of practice. But I never asked questions when General Shepherd informed me that they would be joining the team. You never questioned Shepherd. There was a knock at my office door, bringing me back to reality.

"Come in."I said. Ghost walked in with Roach behind him.

"Riley, Sanderson, what brings you here?"I asked.

"We heard something about new arrivals, so we figured we would just come ask you ourselves." Ghost replied. I wished I could see his face so I could tell if he was pissed off or just curious.

"Well, we have two, a medic and a combat engineer. They'll be here shortly. Nikolai went to retrieve them from General Shepherd."

"So what are these guys like?" Roach asked.

"Not guys, they're females. And I have their files right here." I replied. Roach looked surprised. I couldn't see Ghost's reaction due to his mask and glasses, but he grabbed the files I handed him. He was my Lieutenant so Ghost was granted to this access, but Roach was only a Sergeant and wasn't qualified for it. He began to look around my office while Ghost looked over the information I've all but memorized. Roach cleared his throat, breaking the silence.

"I think I'm going to hit the gym and train with Meat and Royce." he said.

"Good idea, mate. Then you might actually stand a chance the next time we spar." Ghost replied without looking up. Roach laughed.

"Yeah right. You cheated last time." he said with a smile as he walked out the door. Ghost looked at me and handed the files back.

"We just got another member three weeks ago. It defeats the purpose of having a special ops squad if you just keep adding people, it'll soon become a whole fucking army." he said as he sat down in the chair in front of my desk.

"I know." Liam Nox, call-sign "Sin", was the new guy we gained three weeks ago who replaced one of our guys we lost awhile back. He usually did side missions with Meat and Royce to get used to being in the Task Force.

"And why are they females? I'm not sexist, and I'm aware they can do just as much as we can, but some of the guys around here-"

"I know, mate. But it's not like a lot of the guys actually permanently stay here besides our team. Most of them are just doing stupid tasks for Shepherd. We can handle it."

"Ashton Shepherd? She's his daughter, right? Doesn't that make you wonder?"

"Aye, she is. But don't jump to conclusions, she has earned her place on the team like the rest of us. Shepherd isn't the kind you sweet talk for stuff."

"That may be, but you have to admit mate, there's something off about this. They have great experience and I'm willing to work with them, but I'm not sure what Shepherd is planning." Ghost said, shaking his head.

"They're part of the team now. We are going to treat them as such."

"I know. I wonder how the rest of them will react."

"Well, we're about to find out." I replied as the sound of Nikolai's plane got louder


	3. Chapter 3

pov Emma

The plane began to lower itself onto the ground. My nerves were on edge. I wasn't ready for this. Maybe it was a mistake. There was no way in hell I can be on a team this experienced, it made no sense at all. I hated Shepherd and most of his men. What if these guys were just like them? I also knew that I wasn't physically as great as these guys and maybe even Ashton and I wanted to prove myself. But I had my doubts. Nikolai landed the plane with great expertise.

"This the place?" Ashton asked.

"Da, this is the place." he replied.

"It's smaller than I was expecting." I told him while I looked out at the base.

"We have a smaller team so we don't require a huge base, my friend. But I am sure you will like it."

"I hope so." Ashton said as we exited the plane. It was a little colder than I was used to, but not unbearable. There was a few buildings right by each other on the left and a couple more on the right. Definitely smaller than I expected. There was a man walking towards us. He was tall and muscular and kind of lean. The perfect combination to get my heart racing. He wore a tight black shirt with camo pants and a pair of boots and I immediately regretted not wearing my camo. His dark hair was cut in a mohawk, but something about him screamed authority. When he got closer, I noticed he had ice blue eyes and a scar through his left eye.

"Captain MacTavish, General Shepherd was not able to come, he has other matters to attend." Nikolai told him as he handed him the files from earlier. Captain MacTavish nodded and smiled at him. It was obvious they were friends.

"Thanks Nikolai." he turned to us. "Now, let's get down to business, eh? I'm Captain MacTavish and I am CO of One-Four-One. You will receive your orders through me and if have any problems or questions, I'm the one to talk to. I'll give you a tour, then you can meet the rest of the team, alright?"

"Yes sir." we said. Nikolai walked away as Captain MacTavish led us on our tour. He led us by the gym, the shooting range, and showed us his office. We ended up at the medical building.

"This is where you'll be working, Shepherd. You have another medic working with you and you'll get to meet her later. But right now, I want to go ahead and show you to your rooms. Since there is only three females and it was last minute, you get to room in the spare rooms in here. You get your own showers and all that. The team usually sleeps by the rec room and my room is by my office." He gave us a chance to put our bags in our separate rooms. He then led us outside to a huge garage building. The wide doors were open, exposing the Humvee inside. "Miller, you will be working here. You will help with fixing and building equipment when necessary. You have an office in the back and there are also some computers that help keep the comms linked and view our mission progress in the back. There may be times you will be required to use them if necessary, I'm hoping you CIA experience had prepared you for this. Now, how about meeting some teammates, eh?" he said with his heavy Scottish accent. He led us across the base, to the rec room. Inside there was a tv with a couch and an armchair in front of it. There were two men playing chess and another man in the corner shuffling cards at a table. On of the men playing chess looked at us, or I assumed he looked at us. It was hard to tell with his red sunglasses and skull balaclava.

"Alright Gents, this is Sergeant Miller and Sergeant Shepherd. They will be joining us as a new medic and a combat engineer." he walked up to the man with the balaclava. "This is Ghost, he's my lieutenant, and this is Ozone. The man with the cards is Archer, our main sniper. The rest of the team is around here somewhere, you'll meet them sooner or later." Ashton frowned.

"Ghost? Ozone? Are these nicknames or...?"

"Call-signs. We use them for identity protection. You'll get one too." he replied. Ozone smiled

"Welcome to the team, ladies! Sergeant Miller right? Maybe you could show me around the garage and teach me some of that engineer magic of yours." Ozone said with a wink. I laughed.

"Sure, and its just Emma. I haven't been called by my rank since the marines." I replied.

"Emma. Cool, I like it! What about you? Gotta first name?" he asked, turning to Ashton.

"It's Ashton." she replied with a shy smile.

"The rec room and gym are always open, so you can go there whenever." Captain MacTavish said, gaining our attention.

"Don't forget about chow" Ghost said and I realized it was the first time he had said anything since we met him.

"Right, we have breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the mess hall. I advise you eat before training in the mornings." he checked his watch. "Well I have to get back to the office. Feel free to look around and I'll see you at training, which starts at 0500." Captain MacTavish walked out without another word. Archer shook our hands and followed suit.

pov Ghost

Captain MacTavish and Archer walked out, leaving me and Ozone with the FNG's. Fucking New Girls. Emma's eyes looked grey and cold, calculating, and guarded. I wasn't really surprised. She's seen a lot of death while in the marines. Her file said that she knew the squad that went after Al-Asad years ago. The same squad that got killed with the nuke. That's when she decided it was her last term in the marines and went to the CIA. She definitely looked like a marine. I was actually curious to see what she was capable of doing.

I looked over Ashton. She was nervous, that was obvious. She's from the army. They weren't as disciplined as the marines, but they still had great soldiers. We didn't need another medic though. We had Nora, and Archer had basic knowledge of it in case we needed it on the field. There was a chance she didn't even belong here at all. I was almost sure that daddy pulled strings so his daughter could move forward in her career. I couldn't stop from thinking of reasons she would be here. I didn't find a good one. I looked at Ozone. He continued to smile and joke with Ashton. He was a friendly guy, and was one of the first to welcome a new member with open arms.

"The rest of them are in the gym, did you go there on the tour?" Ozone asked.

"We went there, but we didn't go in. Captain MacTavish was in a hurry." Emma replied.

"Yeah Royce, Meat, and Roach are in there sparring. Would you like to meet them?"

"Sure, might as well." Emma replied as she shrugged her shoulder. I had a feeling me and her would get along just fine.

"Follow me." I said as I moved away from the chess board. I began to walk out of the rec room, towards the gm. I didn't miss the look of surprise Ashton gave me before she quickly looked away and gave Ozone a smile.

Emma and Ashton followed me as I made my way to the gym. When we walked in, Royce was talking to Sin and Meat was still going at it with Roach. Royce looked over, immediately noticing our entrance.

"Meat! Roach! They new guys are here!" Ozone said and then looked at the girls. "No offense, of course."

"None taken." Emma replied with a smirk. The men walked over and introduced themselves. The team was friendly enough. Roach and Meat began to argue about who had the upper hand.

"I totally had you!" Meat said with a smirk.

"No. You were slowing down and I was about to pin you down before Ghost came in." Roach replied. Royce shook his head and shook the girls' hands and welcomed them to the team. I sighed. This was not what I expected at all.

pov Soap

I sat in my office thinking about the new arrivals. Emma was beautiful and I couldn't help noticing how she assessed everything around her. It was most likely a habit. She was a marine, she was trained to be aware of everything. I also couldn't help noticing her eyes. Not because of the color. a beautiful haunting, yet intriguing, calm-before-the-storm kind of grey, but because of how cold they were. Almost as if she was numb and deprived of all feeling. Heartless. What if she was so heartless, so into the mission, that she wouldn't think for the team? I couldn't risk that, didn't want to risk it. I couldn't trust her. I didn't want someone like that on my squad, but there was nothing I could do or say. Despite what I thought, we needed her. General Shepherd made it clear that she was here for good. She may be cold and uncaring, but she was well-trained, and that's what Shepherd wanted.

Ashton was completely different. Her mossy green eyes were full of life, vibrant. She was nervous though. At first, I thought she was just some little daddy's girl, but she looked like she didn't even want to be here. Which didn't seem right. Ghost's words rang in my ears. _I'm telling you mate, there is something off about this._ There was something going on that I didn't know, and I had full intention on finding out what it was.

pov Ashton

Ghost didn't like me. Or I assumed he didn't. I couldn't tell since his face was completely covered. But I got the feeling he was watching my every move and he avoided me as much as possible. He would say few words here and there and they were usually towards Royce or Emma. Never to me. Meat and Roach continued to spar while Sin went off to the rec room to watch a game. Meat finally pinned Roach down, causing him to tap out.

"I told you I'd win." Meat said with a huge smile as he walked away.

"Whatever, mate. I'll get you next time." Roach replied with a laugh. Meat approached me with the same smile.

"So, what do you think so far?" he asked.

"Think of what?" I replied.

"Of the team, of course."

"Oh, well, you guys are okay so far."

"Just okay? Well. I'm just going to have to change your mind, huh?" he said as he winked at me. I laughed.

"I guess so." I replied. I sounded more confident than I felt. I didn't belong here and sooner or later, they would figure that out. I wasn't cut out for this. Any of it. Not just the task force, but all of it. The army, the CIA, everything. This wasn't me. It was my father.

Ugh. My father. The man who pushed me towards the army, the one who made me join this team, the one who wouldn't let me be me. I never wanted to join the military, that was Emma's thing, never mine. I wanted to go to college and become a doctor. But after my parents' divorce, my mom couldn't afford it and the scholarships weren't enough. I swallowed my pride and asked my father for help. I got his answer and here I am. I told Emma about my decision and she didn't like it. At all. She insisted I did reserves if anything, so I could go to college and be done after four years. But I was young and trying to make my father proud. Trying to be the son he had desperately wanted. Emma met my father at our high school graduation and she told him what she thought. They have hated each other ever since.

I was surprised when he told me Emma was coming with me to the team, but I was relieved. It was comforting to have a familiar face with me. But I still felt alone. She was trained well and was meant for something like this. She always was. Her father was in the Navy and he was her inspiration all these years. Of course she never talks about it. She can;t afford to get emotional. She had a cold, hard exterior, but of course that was just a front. A front I wish I could pull off. But none of these people knew Emma like I did. She was my best friend and I needed her. Because if she isn't here, then I wouldn't have anybody, I would be truly alone. And right now, I needed all the friends I could get.


	4. Chapter 4

pov Emma

I knew this was a nightmare. It was the same nightmare I've been having for years now. It was when I was in active duty and the squad was after Al-Asad. I had to get to the tank and fix it so it could get out of the bog. Lt. Valquez and his men surrounded me.

"How could you leave us behind?" Lt. Valquez asked as he glared at me. "We're your team, your brothers. And you betrayed us."

"No! I didn't mean too! I would never..." I replied frantically.

"Why, Emma?" Sgt. Jackson asked, his eyes full of pain. "We trusted you and you turned your back on us like we didn't even matter!"

"Paul, I would never do that to you! You're my best friend!" I began to cry. This felt so real and I never felt so much pain in my life.

"Why couldn't you save them, Emma? Why couldn't you save me?" I turned towards the new voice, knowing who it was before I saw him standing behind me. His dark brown eyes anguished.

"Griggs...Please..." I begged.

"I trusted you, Emma. We're Devil Dogs, remember? A family. You failed your family. We got away, but I died anyway and you weren't there. Our squad died and you walked away. We could have went back but you didn't. I died and you weren't there for me."

"Please..."

"You don't belong here! You don't deserve this!"

"Griggs! I tried!" I began to cry harder.

"You should have died with us, Emma! Semper Fidelis! Always Faithful, remember?!" Sgt. Jackson yelled.

"How dare you call yourself a Marine!" Lt. Valquez snapped.

"You're nothing. You"re not one of us." SSgt. Griggs spat.

"Traitor!" Lt. Valquez yelled.

"You're a failure!" SSgt. Griggs sneered.

"I loved you!" Sgt. Jackson's voice rang out.

"No!" I screamed as I shot up in bed. I began to shake and I wiped the tears from my face. I couldn't stop crying. Their faces were so real, so vivid, the image burned in my memory. I tried to take a couple deep breaths to calm my nerves, but it didn't work. I got up and changed into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. I grabbed my running shoes. There was only one way to get this out of my system, to move along. Run it out.

pov Ashton

Training that morning went okay. I found out not only did Ghost not like me, but he didn't have anything to do with me at all. Normally, I wouldn't care, but for some reason, this bothered me. I wanted to ask for Emma's opinion, but she looked like she was already going through something rough. She was more detached than normal. Of course I wasn't the only that noticed. Captain MacTavish watched her while we trained and did exercises. I wasn't trained to read people, but I was a medic, so it came naturally with the job. And I could tell that Captain MacTavish didn't really approve of her. She did great during training. It was so natural to her. But he still watched her closely and I had a bad feeling that there was something more to it.

After training, Emma took off towards the garage and I went to the medical building. When I walked into my office, there was a woman sitting at the desk with her legs crossed and a lab coat. She had wavy brown hair with blue eyes. She actually had makeup which surprised me. Her glossy red lips curved into a smile.

"Hello. You must be the new medic! I'm Nora!" she said with a bubbly, sweet voice. I didn't know if I was going to like her.

"I'm Ashton."

"What a lovely name!" she cracked the gum she was chewing. "Got a call-sign?"

"Not yet."

"Well mine is Candy! Because I'm so sweet!" she smiled wider and winked.

"That's...nice."

"Hmm...What should yours be, though?" she tapped her index finger on her chin. Her nails were painted bright red. I thought about something that would fit me perfectly. A memory of my mom reading me stories as a child came to me. They weren't just stories, they were fables, to teach me lessons in life.

"Fable." I said before I could stop myself. Nora lifted an eyebrow.

"Fable? Seems cute enough."

"Sure." I mumbled.

"Well, this is your office. Mine is on the other side of the medical room. This door leads to it. It makes going back and forth easier." she pointed to another door on my right. "We have desks in there, too. We have to make copies of every medical file we get so we can keep one in there and in our office. It makes things easier. You're lab coats are on the coat hanger on the back of you office door." I looked behind me and sure enough there was a row lab coats on the door.

"Taa-Daa!" Candy said in a sing-songy voice.

"Thanks." I said with a weak smile.

"No problem! Well, gotta dash, hun! Good luck!" she walked out of the office and shut the door. I sighed. She was definitely a piece of work.

pov Emma

I found a radio in my office which was a pleasant surprise. I would have to get some CD's when I had a chance. I plugged it in and found a rock station. I turned to the Humvee that needed worked on. My marine fatigues were going to get dirty fast. I put my hair in a messy bun and got to work. By the time I changed to oil and replaced the brakes it was time for lunch. I made my way to the mess hall. I looked around for Ashton after I got my food. I saw Captain MacTavish, Ghost, and Archer sitting at a table in the corner. Hell no. There was no way in hell I was sitting with Captain MacTavish. It was obvious he didn't like me and I doubted he trusted me. I had no idea what I did wrong but apparently it caused him to keep a close eye on me.

I finally found Ashton sitting with some burnette who wore too much makeup. I made way over. Ashton seen me and she smiled, her eyes screamed for help. I sat next to her and looked at the mystery woman. She reminded me of one of those women who would beg for attention and hit on any guy who had a six-pack and money in his pocket.

"Hi! You must be the other newbie! I'm so glad I'm not the only woman here, with all these strong me. Never know what could happen, if you know what I mean." she said with a giggle, then winked. Ashton choked on her water. I frowned.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" I asked.

"Oh! Silly me, I'm Nora aka Candy."

"She's the other medic." Ashton said with a raspy voice from choking.

"Right. Well I'm Emma."

"Nice to meet you, doll! So, what's going on with you and the captain?" she asked, wiggling her eyebrows at me.

"Excuse me?" I asked. I was starting to not like this woman.

"Well, he's staring at you, so I figured there was something going on. That was kind of fast." She giggled again. I stiffened at her words. Part of me wanted to look around to see if it was true, while the rest of me wanted to avoid his beautiful ice blue eyes completely. Wait, beautiful? "Of course, I shouldn't assume, since most of the guys are looking you up and down too." she added, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"What guys?"

"Oh, some army guys that Shepherd has running around here for some training exercises. They spend most of their time on the opposite side of the base. Anf they can't keep their eyes off of you!"I turned around and to my surprise a table full of soldiers were, in fact, staring at me. One of them winked. I turned away, glaring.

"You little minx, you! Me-ow!" Nora laughed. Meat and Roach sat down with us and looked between me and Nora.

"What are you talking about?" Meat asked.

"Emma is our little celebrity. Men can't get enough of this cool cat. Oh! I just figured out your call-sign!" Nora gasped with excitement. What about 'Lynx?'"

"Lynx?" I asked.

"Of course! The cat that lives in the winter. You're a kitty cat with the men and you're eyes are grey like the color of the sky when it snows...its perfect!" she exclaimed.

"I actually like it." Ashton replied with a smile. "It's perfect for our little ice princess." she said as she winked at me.

"Great! We have Lynx and Fable!" Nora said.

"Fable?" Roach asked.

"Yep! That's Ashton's call-sign."

"That's awesome! I'm going let Captain MacTavish know." he said with excitement as he shot up from his chair.

"Wait!" I called but it was too late. He was already gone. This isn't how I wanted to earn my call-sign. My captain would think I was some kind of whore. What if he thought I was with a bunch of guys? Why did I even care? Why was I so concerned with what he would think? I should be able to hang out with guys if I wanted to. So why was I so bothered by this? I sighed.

"So how are you darling?" Nora asked Meat, putting her hand on his arm.

"I'm not sure. I might need another check up." he replied.

"Oh yeah? Should I make an appointment for you in my office?" I almost gagged. Hearing them flirt was just the thing that made me lose my appetite.

pov Soap

I watched as Roach jumped up from his chair and walk to our table. By the look on his face he seemed happy about something. It was hard to guess what it could be. He was sitting with Candy, so anything was possible.

"Hey guys, mind if I join you?" he asked as he sat down across from me, blocking my view of Emma.

"What do'yah want, Roach?" I asked.

"We've figured out their call-signs." he said with a huge smile.

"Who's call-sign?" Archer asked.

"Emma and Ashton's, of course!" Roach exclaimed.

"Alright, what are they?" I asked.

"Well, Ashton is Fable and Emma is Lynx."

"Lynx? What in the bloody hell made her choose that as her name?" I asked.

"She might like cats." Archer said.

"Well, Candy gave it to her."

"Of course she did." Ghost muttered.

"Why would she give her that name?" Archer asked.

"Are you blind? Did not see her at training this morning? She has stealth. And of course she's beautiful. Candy said she's a kitty cat with men. Me and Meat overheard her saying something about a bunch of Shepherd's men checking her out. So Candy called her a kitty cat and she got the bright idea of Lynx. Besides her eyes are grey, so it kind of fits her." Roach explained. Ghost shook his head and Archer raised an eyebrow. I was pissed. I never liked most of Shepherd's men. They had no right to disrespect my team like that. Sure, I didn't like her and I didn't really trust her just yet, but she was still on my team. There was no way in hell I was going to let this go on.

Candy, Ashton, and Emma got up and left their table, heading towards the exit. One of the guys grabbed Emma's arm, making her stop. He said something and Emma glared at him. Ashton's eyes widened and she put her hand over her mouth while Candy rolled her eyes. I stiffened. I waited for something to happen, but she just yanked her arm away and stormed off. The guy and his friends all began to laugh. I gritted my teeth and clenched my hands into fists as Candy and Ashton followed Emma.

"You alright there, mate?" Ghost asked making me remember where I was.

"Fine, why?" I asked.

"Just curious." he replied.

"I'm going to go finish some paperwork." I muttered as I stood up and walked away. I felt Ghost's eyes on the back of my head as I made my way to the table of guys that stopped Emma. They looked up when I approached the table.

"Gentlemen." I said, my voice like steel, cold and hard. I glared at them.

"Captain." one of them said in reply.

"I know we have to share a base, and I don't mind you being here. However, I would appreciate it if you wouldn't interfere with my team." I said.

"Interfering? It's lunch, _sir._ " the guy who grabbed Emma sneered. Ghost was suddenly standing beside me with his arms crossed over his chest. I never heard him walking up behind me. Of course, his name is _Ghost._

"We don't care when it is. If we ever catch you disrespecting our men, it won't be good. So I suggest you grow up and show some respect." Ghost snapped. I was reminded of the reason this man was my lieutenant and my best friend.

"Well she's not much of a man, is she lieutenant?" my temper flared.

"She's part of my team, Private. Now I suggest you lose your fucking attitude and listen clear, lad. They are part of my squad and they will be treated with respect. I don't care who you think you are, what matters is that I'm Captain and you're a Private. Learn your place! If you ever talk to my female squad members with disrespect or unprofessionally, you'll answer to me. Then you can spend time explaining to General Shepherd why I sent him a recommendation letter for your departure. Understood?"

He glared and muttered under his breath.

"Speak clearly when Captain MacTavish addresses you, Private." Ghost ordered.

"Am I understood?" I asked with malice.

"Yes sir." he spat.

"You know better than to disrespect a captain, Private. You better watch yourself, ungrateful git." Ghost snapped. I turned and walked out of the mess hall, making my way to my office with Ghost on my heels.

"What was that, mate?" Ghost asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I replied.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. I'm not blind, John. I know you don't like her and don't really trust her. You've been watching her since training this morning. Then, you find out a bunch of Privates were checking her out and all of a sudden you're quick to jump to her defense. After she left, of course. You couldn't really say anything when he grabbed her, could you?" Ghost asked him sarcasm.

"She can take care of herself, Simon. You're right, I don't like her and I sure as hell don't trust her, but she is part of this team and I won't let anyone disrespect my team."

"That's bullocks and you know it, mate! You didn't have a problem with them until Roach told you they were checking Emma out. And don't say it's because you don't want them disrespecting the team. They hit on Candy like that all the time and you know it! But when it happens to Emma, you won't tolerate it. I think you're just jealous." I stopped walking and turned to him.

"Jealous? You think I'm jealous? Of what?" I demanded.

"You heard Roach and I know you aren't blind or deaf, John. Emma is beautiful. It's kind of hard not to notice, mate. You're not very subtle at hiding it, either. Everybody notices you watching her. She's not that bad, if you just talk to her. It's the only way you're going to able to trust her. Yeah, I think you're jealous because other guys notice her, not only you. Stop being stubborn and get to know her." With that said, Ghost turned and walked away. I frowned. Was he right? Was I really jealous? And if so, why? I shook my head. No, there was no way I was jealous. I turned and continued to head to my office with a question that I always ask myself in questioning situations. What would Captain Price do?

pov Ghost

I found myself walking to the garage after my confrontation with Captain MacTavish. It was obvious he was jealous. Roach and Archer even noticed his behavior. He needs to also keep in mind that there is more to Emma than what meets the eye. I sighed. Who was I to talk though? I avoid Ashton like the plague. Maybe I should be taking my own advice instead of being a hypocrite. I knocked on the metal sliding door of the garage building. Emma looked up from the hood of the Humvee. She turned around and began wiping her hands with a rag. She was covered in grease. She had a smear on her cheek and forehead. Her hands were completely covered and her fatigues had black smears all over.

"Is there something I can help you with Ghost?" she asked.

"No, not really?" I replied.

"Okay, mind if I ask why you're here then?"

"I want to talk to you."

"You want to talk to me?" she asked as she narrowed her eyes, making them darker.

"Yes, I want to talk to you about Captain MacTavish." I replied. Her eyes widened in surprise.

"Captain MacTavish? Why?"

"He doesn't trust you, therefore he doesn't like you."

"Tell me something I don't know." she replied sarcastically as she rolled her eyes, recovering from her former shock.

"Alright, he confronted the guy that grabbed you during chow."

"What?"

"Yea, he set him straight real quick."

"Why would he do that? Look, I appreciate that, but I can take care of myself."

"Because he's a great captain. He cares about his team. He thinks there's something off about you, and honestly I did too. But you're still part of the team."

"What did I do?"

"You didn't do anything. It was how you presented yourself, how you still present yourself. He's a Captain, so he has to be able to read people. He notices your cold and worries that you won't care about the team."

"I'm trained-"

"To put your emotions aside, I know. Just prove him wrong."

"Look, I've been through some serious shit, okay? I'm sorry if I can't be Mary fuckin' Poppins."

"I understand. Believe me, I do. But you can't push people away because of what happened in Iran." Her eyes widened. "Yeah, I know what happened and so does Captain MacTavish. We understand, but you can't push people away and dwell on it, love. It'll tear you apart." She looked away and started to fidget.

"I-I would like to talk about it, I can't tell Ashton. This is something she wouldn't completely understand." she replied quietly. I nodded.

"Come with me to your office. Let's get this straightened out." We walked to her office and she shut the door. She took a deep breath.

"Sergeant Jackson was my closest friend on the squad," she began. "He was someone I could trust with anything. He fell in love with me and I turned him down before we went after Al-Asad. He was more like a brother to me than anything. He said he understood and that's how it stayed. That squad was my family. Staff Sergeant Griggs was there when I heard that my brother got married. He stayed with me all night as I cried because of the guilt I felt for missing my brother's wedding. Lieutenant Valquez was my idol. he was a great squad leader. I belonged there. Then a tank got stuck in a bog while we were on the mission and I had to get it fixed. Of course I fixed it, and Lt. Valquez ordered me to follow SSgt. Griggs when there were in a plane giving air support. Well, they found a nuclear bomb and Griggs told us we had to leave. I followed him and we were almost out when one of the helicopters got shot down. turned around and went back for the pilot. Griggs wanted to follow at first, but I convinced him that we had to keep going, that they would be fine. We got to safety, but the others didn't make it. We were devastated. Then Griggs and some others were assigned to assist a SAS squad in Russia. Griggs begged me to go with him, but I refused. General Shepherd then assigned me to the CIA. Next thing I knew, I was attending his funeral. If I would've went with them, maybe I would've saved him."

"There's nothing you could've done, mate. You have survivor's guilt. We all have it and there's one person you should go to for help and advise."

"Who?"

"Captain MacTavish."

"No, I can't tell him this."

"Yes you can and you should. He knows more about this than you think. Just consider it, eh?"

"Yeah..."

"It's not your fault, Emma. It's war, it happens. I got to go take care of things. Remember what I said. Oh and Emma?"

"Yeah?"

"You belong here, too." I said as I put my hand on her shoulder then turned towards the door. "Catch you later...Lynx." I called over my shoulder as I walked out the door.


	5. Chapter 5

* * *

pov Ashton

It was early. I couldn't sleep so I decided to go through some medical files to maybe get an idea of what these men were like. They usually get minor injuries, nothing too bad. Not yet at least. I rubbed my eyes and got the idea of training. I gasped. Shit! I forgot! I jumped up and rushed to my room, passing Emma. She gave me a strange look.

"Lost track of time! Tell Captain MacTavish I'm coming if I'm not there in five minutes!" I called, running down the hallway. I burst into my room and began to change into training attire. I began to run to the gym. When I got there, Captain MacTavish wasn't there yet. I made it just in time. I sighed.

"Hey you! It's about time you got here!" Meat said with a huge smile.

"Alright guys, here's the plan for today," announcing his and Ghost's arrival. "We'll be doing a course exercise outside. It's made of wood and it's been raining so be careful. Let's get started. Ladies first, of course." I nodded. Me and Emma walked to the wooden course behind the gym while the others followed. We got into starting positions. The team watched from the side.

"You got to let me win this one, Emma." I teased. She laughed.

"I'll give you a five second head start." she replied and it was my turn to laugh. Captain MacTavish gave us the go and I took off. True to her word, Emma gave me a head start. But something went wrong. I jumped on to a wooden log we had to balance across. Emma was catching up and I couldn't let her win. Not this time. I was almost at the end of the log and I got excited. I slipped and began to fall backwards as my ankle twisted. I gasped as pain shot through my ankle and head, then everything went black.

pov Emma

I gasped as she fell back and hit her head on the log. The way she fell didn't look good. I wasn't a medic, but I knew that her ankle shouldn't have twisted like that.

"No!" I screamed. I jumped off my log and slipped. I caught myself and ran to Ashton. Her head was bleeding badly. I took my shirt off and put it under her head, applying pressure to the wound. I checked her pulse just to make sure.

"Ashton! Emma, is she okay?" Roach asked as he ran over.

"Get a medic! Now!" I yelled at him. He turned around and ran for the medic building. Royce and Meat ran up and bent down to pick her up.

"Don't touch her!" I snapped. They backed up immediately. Captain MacTavish walked up with Ghost behind him.

"How bad is it?" he asked.

"She fell and busted her head open. I think she twisted her right ankle pretty bad." I replied.

"Archer! Check her right ankle!" he ordered. Blood began seep through my shirt. My eyes began to water. Captain MacTavish kneeled and put his hand behind mine. I looked up at him as a few tears escaped.

"Please...help her." I begged quietly. His ice blue eyes bore into mine and I felt, for once, that this man was looking into my soul.

"I will, but you have to trust me." he whispered back. Slowly, I removed my hand, allowing him to take full control. Archer backed away as Captain MacTavish picked her up bridal style. He began to walk towards the medical building. Ghost helped me up and offered the hoodie he was wearing. I accepted it, realizing I was in my training bra.

"Training has been cancelled for today." Ghost called to Royce, Meat, and Archer. "Tell the rest of our squad." He began to lead me to the medical building. I was still crying. I couldn't lose Ashton. She was my best friend. My one true friend. I prayed Captain MacTavish got her to Nora in time. I was mentally kicking myself for crying in front of my Captain and losing control like that. What would he think of me now?

We walked through the entrance and saw Captain MacTavish leaning against the wall, watching the door to the medical room. There were a couple chairs and Ghost led me to one and motioned me to sit down.

"I cancelled training today." Ghost informed Captain MacTavish. He just nodded. "Emma, I'm going to get something to wash your hands with." He turned and left.

"Where is she? Is she okay?" I asked and he finally looked at me.

"Nora is checking her out. We aren't allowed in right now." he replied, his tone no longer stern like it usually was. And I realized just how amazing his voice was. It made me feel reassured and calm. I trusted this man and I knew he would keep his word. He would help Ashton in any way possible.

"Thank you." I said earnestly. His eyes widened in surprise. "I blanked and all I could think to do was hold her head. I panicked and wouldn't let anyone touch her." My voice cracked and new tears began to fall from my eyes. He opened his mouth to say something, but never got the chance. Ghost returned with a wet towel.

"Here, let me help you." he bent down in front of me and began to clean the blood of my hand. Captain MacTavish's eyes never left mine. I couldn't tell what he was thinking. Then Candy opened the door.

"Alright, only Captain MacTavish can see her right now, so I can discuss her condition. Wait here." she motioned for Captain MacTavish to follow her and she shut the door behind them.

"You're reaction shocked the Captain. You may have finally proven him wrong, mate." Ghost whispered.

"Maybe." I murmured as I thought about the way Captain MacTavish's gaze made me feel and what it meant.

pov Soap

"She has a slight concussion and a sprained ankle. It'll take a while to recover. I'll give her a week before she can begin working again." Candy explained. Ashton was awake and didn't look happy. She had her ankle propped up and a bandage wrapped around her head.

"Thanks Candy. Could you give us a minute?" I asked.

"Of course, darlin'. If you need me, I'll be in my office." she replied with a wink. Once she was out of earshot, I approached Ashton.

"How do you feel?" I asked.

"Like shit. This sucks. I knew something like this would happen. I don't belong here."

"What are you talking about? Of course you belong here. You're great at what you do."

"That's what my file says. The truth is that I never wanted to come here. I'm only here because my father wants me to be. Gotta make sure his reputation isn't ruined by his daughter, you know." I frowned at her words.

"He sent you here to better his reputation?" I asked.

"Actually, I think it's a punishment. I told him that after my term in the army, I was going to quit. I want to go to college, and become a doctor. Well he didn't like that, so the next thing I know, I'm getting reassigned to the CIA and he sends me here. He did the same thing to me that he did to Emma. And its bullshit. He always has to be in control."

"Emma? What happened to Emma?" That caught my attention immediately. What did this asshole do to her? I was starting to like this man less and less.

"Emma is a great person and a good soldier. But her team...you know what happened, right?"

"Her squad died in the nuclear explosion. I remember, I was in the SAS then."

"She got out with Staff Sergeant Griggs."

"Griggs?" I asked. I felt as if all the air was sucked from my lungs. Griggs, the man who died trying to save my life, knew Emma? Why wasn't she with the squad that was assigned to help go after Imran Zakhaev?

"Yeah, he was on her squad. Only a few actually survived that blast. They were assigned to help a SAS squad and Emma wasn't ready for it, so she declined the offer to go. She said her job was to be a combat engineer, not to fight in the infantry. Well, Shepherd was extremely pissed about losing so many men and he didn't like Emma's reply. He assigned her to the CIA. He took what she loved to do the most away from her. All because she couldn't bare the though of fighting without the rest of her squad. There is so much about Emma that you don't know, but don't tell her I told you this. She doesn't know that I know."

"Then how do you know if she never told you?"

"I'm his daughter, I sneak into his office and hear things all the time. He thinks I'm stupid and that I don't understand things. But he's wrong."

"Of course he is. He may have pulled strings to get you here, but you are worthy of being on this team. Both of you are." she smiled at my response.

"Thanks, Captain MacTavish."

"Only tellin' you the truth, mate. Now get better, I can't have you getting hurt anymore than you already have."

"Yes, sir." I smiled and walked out the door. Emma was still sitting in the chair with Ghost's hoodie on. She was no longer covered in blood or crying. Ghost was standing across from her with his arms crossed over his chest. Emma noticed me and jumped up.

"How is she?" she asked.

"She'll be okay. She got a concussion and sprained her ankle. She won't be back to work for a week," I replied. "Right now, she needs her rest." Emma nodded. An army guy burst through the door to the building an approached me.

"Captain MacTavish, General Shepherd wants to see you and Ghost immediately." he said. I nodded to Ghost and he followed the soldier out. I approached Emma and put my hand on her shoulder.

"Take the day off, spend some time in the rec room. But tomorrow I want you back at it, alright?"

"Yes, sir." she murmured. I walked out and headed for Shepherd's office.

pov Emma

I did as I was told. I went to the rec room. Meat and Royce were playing pool, Roach was reading and Nikolai was watching tv with Ozone. I decided to join Nikolai.

"Emma, what a pleasant surprise." he said as I sat next to him on the couch.

"Hey Nikolai. How have you been?"

"Good, good. You?"

"I've been okay. Ashton had a nasty fall earlier."

"Da, I've heard. How is she?"

"Well she sprained her ankle and got a concussion."

"I hope she gets well soon."

"Yeah, me too."

All of a sudden, an emergency broadcast came on, interrupting the soccer game. Meat and Royce stopped playing and Roach looked up from his book.

"What the hell is this?" Ozone asked. A news lady then showed up on the screen.

A couple days ago, an an American terrorist organization shot and killed millions of people in a Russian airport in Moscow and this action has not gone unanswered. As of now, Russian forces have invaded the United States-" The screen went black. I gasped and turned around as Ozone jumped up. Captain MacTavish and Ghost stood in front of the door. Captain MacTavish had the remote in his hand. He must have turned it off.

"What's going on?" Meat asked. Captain MacTavish sighed.

"Russia has declared war on America. They've invaded and the United States is a battlefield."

"What are we going to do?" Roach asked.

"Shepherd has given us a mission. We're going after a man called Alex the Red. Intel states that he supplied the shooting."

"What's the plan?" Ozone asked.

"We're headed to Rio de Janeiro. We're going to capture his right hand man. He'll tell us where Alex is, then we capture him as well. Hopefully, he'll give us a lead on Makarov."

"So, who's going?" Royce asked.

"Roach, Royce, Meat, and Ozone along with me and Ghost and a few others. We leave tomorrow morning." Captain MacTavish tossed Ozone the remote and walked out. Ghost sighed and sat down by Roach.

"It has been a crazy day, mate." he said to no one in particular.

"Does Shepherd know about Fable's accident?" Ozone asked.

"Dunno, he didn't say anything about it." Ghost shrugged his shoulders. I got up and walked out of the rec room to get some fresh air. It was a crazy day. Russia invading America? What about my parents? My brother? Katie and Gage? They lived in the country, but still. America was a war zone and nobody was safe. I began to walk, with no destination in mind. Everything was spinning out of control. The nightmares were getting worse. This time Captain MacTavish an Ghost were in them. Ghost telling me that it was my fault and that I was a fool to actually think I could belong here. And Captain MacTavish saying he regretted letting me on the team and that I would let everyone down. I didn't get any sleep at all. Ashton's fall only added to my stress. All this emotional shit brought me to tears. In front of Captain MacTavish. That made it even worse. I lost complete control in front of everybody. I looked up and found myself standing in front of Captain MacTavish's office. Ghost's words ran through my head. _He knows more about this than you think. Just consider it, eh?_ I sighed and raised my hand to knock on the door. I bit my lip and let my hand drop to my side. What if he didn't want to talk about it? What is he expects me to be stronger than this?

"Can I help you with something?" I gasped and looked over. Captain MacTavish was standing there, eyebrow raised and a coffee in his hand. I was so absorbed in my thoughts I didn't hear him approach. His black shirt clung to his muscles, showing off his broad shoulders and toned chest. I fought the blush that threatened to creep onto my face.

"Umm...I..." My mind went blank. His eyes were so captivating, I lost my train of thought.

"Right. Well, let's discuss...whatever you want to discuss in my office, eh? My coffee is getting cold." I immediately stepped away from the door as he got his key out to unlock it. We walked in and he shut the door behind us. His office was warm and plain. I noticed he only had one picture frame on his desk by his computer. There were papers all over his desk with a stack of files. He walked to his desk, set his coffee down, and sat down. He leaned ack in his chair an put his hands behind his head. I bit my lip again.

"I fixed the Humvee." I blurted out suddenly. He just stared at my, eyebrow raised. This was going horribly. This man made me feel awkward, unsure of myself. He always caught me off guard and made me feel foolish.

"That's...good."he replied. I sighed in frustration.

"This is so hard! I hate this!" I stomped to the chair in front of his desk and sat down. I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees, and put my face in my hands.

"What's so hard? And what do you hate exactly?" he asked. I looked up at him.

"Talking! I can't do it. I hate talking to people about this shit." I put my face back in my hands. It was silent for a few minutes.

"You didn't come here to talk about the Humvee." It wasn't a question. I looked up again. He was leaning forward, his arms resting on his desk. The intensity of his gaze pierced me. He was taking what I had to say seriously. He was taking _me_ seriously. My natural reaction told me to run. To shut up and get the hell out of there and keep my skeletons locked away. But I didn't listen.

"No." I admitted.

"Then why _are_ you here?" The question wasn't cruel, just blunt.

"Ghost said you would understand."

"Ghost?"

"Yes."

"Okay, what exactly would I understand?" I bit my lip.

"My past."

"Your past?"

"Yes and I believe the reason you don't like me." His eyes narrowed at my response.

"Explain." I sighed and looked down and my hands.

"Iran was all my fault. My squad died and so did Griggs. It's my fault and you're afraid the same will happen to this team." He was quiet, so I continued. "They were my best friends and I did nothing to try and save them. I bust my ass to be the perfect Marine. You put your feelings aside and the mission always comes first. But I couldn't do it. Griggs wanted me with him when he was assigned to assists the SAS squad, but I let fear and loss take control. I was sent to the CIA because I wasn't of any use and I refused to fight without my squad. It wasn't what I was trained for anyway. Then Griggs died and I began questioning myself. Maybe if I would have gone, I might have been able to save him. I was distraught. General Shepherd told me to put it aside or kiss my career goodbye. He told me that people come and go and that I needed to be more like a Marine and forget it. I did what I was ordered to do, but it never goes away." I was crying again and I hated myself for it. I continued to look down.

"It never does," he replied. I looked up at him. "Shepherd is an ass and he didn't give you the chance to mourn properly. you can't sweep it under the rug and walk away, it doesn't work that way. As for the guilt, I can't say anything to make you feel better. Anybody who tells you you'll be okay is a fuckin' liar. It'll haunt you until you forgive yourself. It wasn't your fault, there was nothing you could have done to save your squad from that bomb and you couldn't have done anything for Griggs, believe me. But _until_ you realize this, you won't be able to let it go. And you _need to let it go_."

"How do you know I couldn't save Griggs? There could've been-"

"There wasn't. If there was a way to save Griggs, I would've done it." he said.

"What?" I asked. He sighed and leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I was on the SAS squad Griggs assisted. I was on that bridge when he was shot, Emma. He was pulling me to cover when it happened. That whole squad died before my eyes. If there is anyone you should blame, it should be me. I do understand what you're going through. My Captain died. So, believe me when I tell you there was _nothing_ you could have done for Griggs." he explained. I frowned. I didn't know that. I had no ducking idea.

"I'll prove you wrong." I said suddenly. He lifted his eyebrow. "I mean, with the whole 'being cold hearted' thing. I am trustworthy and I do care for my teammates. I'll prove it to you, sir."

"You already have." he said with a smirk. "Now Lynx, what about that Humvee, eh?"

pov Ghost

Against my better judgement, I went to go visit Fable. All the talk about how she had a nasty fall had finally gotten to me. As much as I didn't like her, she was part of the team. And everyone had visited her but me. I walked into the building's entrance and opened the door to the medical room quietly. I tried to be as quiet as possible considering everyone said she was reading and didn't like to be disturbed. Honestly, I was starting to regret my decision. I stopped in the doorway and leaned against the door frame. What the bloody hell was this?

pov Ashton

I hated laying around. After everyone visited me and Nora went to lunch, I got the bright idea of testing out my ankle. I sat up slowly and swung my legs over the bed. Ever so lightly, I put my feet on the floor. I began to slowly stand, using the nightstand as support so I didn't put too much weight on my injured ankle. I began to feel slightly dizzy so I started to take deep breaths.

"Aren't you supposed to be taking it easy?" A voice called from the door. I screamed and lost my balance. Two hands steadied me and led me to the bed where I sat down. "What the bloody hell were you thinking?" Ghost demanded. I flinched. The last thing I expected was for him to show up.

"I'm trying to get stronger." I replied softly.

"Well, you aren't going to do it like that. Aren't you a medic? You're supposed to know that, eh?" I blushed.

"Look, I can't just sit here."I retorted.

"I don't think you have much of a choice. You know, Captain MacTavish and Lynx would have your head if they knew."

"You're going to tell them?"

"I said 'if'. I'll make a deal with you. If you promise not to pull something like that again, I won't tell them. It'll be our dirty little secret, eh?

"Ok, I promise."

"Good. Well how do you feel?"

"Useless. I feel useless."

"It was an accident. And we kinda need medics."

"It was a stupid mistake. It won't happen again."

"Why are you beating yourself up over this? You slipped and fell, Fable. It could happen to anyone."

"It can't happen to me. I can't show him that I'm weak."

"Who?"

"My father." I replied softly.

"I don't understand."

"You don't think I've earned this spot on the team, do you?" I asked. He was silent for a few minutes. I laughed bitterly. "Thought so. Honestly, I probably didn't. My dad probably pulled strings to get me here, but not because I wanted it. He did it to make sure his reputation didn't get ruined when I wanted out. Long story short, I'm a disappointment and he's trying to cover it up."

"I'm sorry." I looked up in shock.

"What?"

I misjudged you. I apologize."

"O-okay."

"Don't worry about Shepherd, he's a piece of work. Captain MacTavish wanted you here, and here you are. Just rest and we'll see you after the mission, eh?" I smile at his response.

"Yeah but let's hope none of you end up here with me." he laughed and left. I sighed. Today was a crazy day.


	6. Chapter 6

* * *

pov Emma

The next morning, Captain MacTavish and his team headed to South America to capture Rojas. I was ordered to stay on the comms just in case they needed me. I wasn't really sure what they would need me for, but orders were orders. I kept my ear piece in and stayed by the comms and computers in the back of my office. Ashton was still sulking in her hospital bed. She was pissed about not being allowed to work during the first mission. Honestly, I felt sorry for her. She had terrible luck. I would've felt the same if I was in her shoes. Nora insisted she needed to stay off her ankle.

I sighed as the clock on the wall ticked on. I hated this part. I'd rather be there than be on the other side of the comms, unable to do something then and there if anything went wrong. I waited. I wasn't sure exactly what I was waiting for, but still. I got so bored with just sitting here. I envied Nikolai. He was able to leave base and I was stuck here. The last update was that Captain MacTavish and Ghost had caught Alejandro's right hand man and was torturing him for answers. Roach, Meat, and Royce went to the fuvela to see if they could find Rojas. Then something about not being able to give Roach back up and that Rojas was using rooftops to get away. Then some more warnings to Roach. But that had been a bit ago, and I was getting antsy. Why would Roach need back up anyway? Did they lose him? What about Meat and Royce? Where was Rojas now? I've heard Captain MacTavish say he took off on the rooftops, but where? Were they close? And why the hell haven't I heard one word about Meat and Royce? Couldn't they back up Roach? Or did they split up? I didn't hear the orders for them to. The situation made me fear the worst but I couldn't afford to think like that.

"He's headed your way Roach! Cut him off so he doesn't double back!" Captain MacTavish's voice rang out through the comms suddenly, bringing me out of my thoughts abruptly.

"I've got a leg shot! I repeat, I have a leg shot. We can end this now!" Ghost said.

"Negative, we can't risk it! We need him alive! Roach, hurry! Don't let him get away!"

"Don't let the militia stop you for long, Roach! Throw some flash bangs at 'em!" Ghost yelled.

Then silence. I bit my lip and started to bounce my leg up and down. I wanted to be in the action. Bad. I haven't realized how bad until now. I could almost smell the gun powder. I sighed again.

"He's getting away!" Ghost yelled.

"No, he's not." Captain MacTavish replied calmly, with the sound of glass shattering in the background. "We got the package, I repeat we got the package." I pressed on my ear piece.

"Roger that, sir"

"Lynx get a squad together to be clean-up crew and send them out here as soon as you can. We're working on getting transportation out of here now. Ghost says command has their head up their arse."

"Clean-up crew, sir?"

"We...we have two fatalities. We need to get their bodies collected and sent home. I'm not leaving them out here." My heart squeezed and I couldn't breath. Fatalities?

"Who, sir?"

"Meat and Royce. Notify Candy and Fable. Make sure you get that squad together. Out."

The comms went silent again. Meat and Royce? I barely knew them, but it was still hard to wrap my head around it. I got up and made my way to Nora's office. I felt like I was in a daze, I couldn't feel anything at this point. It was like a bad dream. I knocked and heard a soft "come in". I entered the office. She was flipping through a magazine, looking as bored as I was just fifteen minutes ago. Fifteen minutes. Fifteen minutes before I got the news of two fallen soldiers. That's how long it took for me to find out that two men I once knew was gone. I clenched my teeth and fought back tears.

"We have two fatalities." I said, feeling like a robot. She stopped flipping the pages and looked up at me.

"Who were they?" she asked carefully.

"Meat and Royce." The words felt like acid on my tongue. Her eyes filled with tears and I felt like I was going to be sick.

"I'll let Ashton know." She whispered. I nodded and left. I felt sick. The look on her face ripped my chest wide open. Guilt tore my stomach to shreds and the queasiness intensified. I hated giving that kind of news to someone who loved them. I didn't necessarily like her, but nobody deserves to hear that kind of news. I honestly didn't think Meat and Nora were serious. But then again, they didn't have to be. Even I was overwhelmed by their loss. Meat always had a joke and always had something smart to say. He never failed to make people smile. And Royce. He was always firm. He was somebody you could lean on. He always had a plan and kept Meat and Roach in check. He was like Ghost and Archer that way. I made my way to the rec room. Archer was watching a movie, but everyone else was nowhere to be seen.

"Hey Archer, I got some news." I said as I sat next to him on the couch. He paused the movie and I continued. "We lost Meat and Royce so Captain MacTavish needs a clean-up squad to get their bodies so we can send them home." Archer frowned and shook his head.

"You want me to grab some men and go?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah. I want you to take Scarecrow, Chemist, and Sin out there and bring them back to us. Is Nikolai here?"

"No, he just left actually. Got a call from Captain MacTavish saying something about command being assholes and not sending a chopper to them. Don't worry, I know a couple pilots that can get us there and back."

"Good. Be careful, there could still be some of Rojas' men in that area. Keep it silent and make it quick."

"Understood. You sound just like MacTavish when you give out orders, you know that?" I opened my mouth then closed it. I nodded and left with nothing more to say.

pov Soap

"Roach! I can't see you! Get to the rooftops!" I yelled. Nikolai finally got to us. We ran along the rooftops to get to him, we made a huge jump, but Roach didn't make it. He slipped and fell before I was able to get to him and pull him up. Ghost and I yelled at him until he became conscious again. Ghost told him that a whole army of Rojas' men were coming his way. Now, Roach was running for his life and I lost sight of him. I'd be damned if I lost another one of my men today. The loss of Meat and Royce was a hard blow, but I didn't have time to mourn right now. The most I could do is get Roach to safety and have a squad retrieve their bodies. I just hoped Emma pulled through. Then, Roach finally made it to the rooftops.

"MacTavish, I'm running out of fuel! You must hurry!" Nikolia insisted.

"Roach, we're running outta fumes here! you've got thirty seconds!" I yelled through the comms. He continued to run. "Left! Go left and jump!" He turned at the edge of the roof and jumped. He ran until he came to a sloped roof. He slid down through the window of the house. I threw a ladder out of the side of the plane. Roach ran out of the house and jumped onto the rope. "We got him! Let's go!"

"Where to, my friend?" Nikolai asked.

"Just get us back to base." I replied. Roach climbed his way into the plane and began to pull the ladder back in.

"Captain MacTavish?" Lynx asked through the comm link.

"Yeah?"

"Archer, Sin, Scarecrow, and Chemist are on their way to get Meat and Royce."

"Good. The area is still hot, so tell them to make it quick and to watch themselves. Don't want them stirring things up than they already are."

"Already done, sir."

"Good. Out."

I sighed. This was going to be a long ride.

pov Ghost

We finally made it to base and usually there would be laughing, cheers, high fives, and pats on the back. But not this time. This time it was quiet. Nobody said a word as we got off and headed towards the rec room. Nora and Emma were sitting at a table. The tv was playing a movie, but nobody seemed to be paying much attention. Roach collapsed on the couch and put his head in his hands. Captain MacTavish said something about a debrief and walked out. Ozone cleared his throat.

"You know, we should celebrate."

"Celebrate? You want to celebrate?" Candy asked quietly as she stared at her hands. Emma tensed and I frowned. This couldn't be good.

"Well, yeah. The mission was a success and-"

"Success? You think Royce dying in a dirty fuvela on a street a success? You call having him never walking through that door a success?!" she yelled. She stood up and stormed up to Ozone and jabbed his chest. "How dare you!? He's gone and never coming back, and all you want to do is party!" She slapped his face and walked out, slamming the door behind her. I looked at Emma and she sighed.

"She's been crying since she found out. She's pretty tore up."

"I didn't mean..." Ozone began.

"I know."

"We should celebrate though. Celebrate their lives and their time here. That's what I was trying to say." Emma nodded.

"I'll be back." I said. I walked to Captain MacTavish's office and walked in. He was sitting at his desk, staring at Meat's and Royce's files. He was leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed over his chest. His face void of all emotion.

"John..." I began.

"We need to box up their belongings and get a hold of their families. Archer will be here soon with the bodies."

"You need to take a break, mate."

"I lost two of my men, Simon. There's no taking a break. I need to get this done and move forward."

"Pushing it aside and dealing with it later isn't moving forward, John. It's avoiding it completely. You're burying yourself in work to forget, not to come to terms with it. They were great men and you led them well. The paperwork can wait for later and so can the boxes. Tonight, we're celebrating their time here and their accomplishments. Tomorrow, we can deal with sending bodies and boxing belongings."

"Alright, mate." I turned and opened the door.

"Keep talking like that John, and you'll start to sound like Emma." With that, I left.

pov Ashton

Nora checked my ankle and my head. I wanted to say something to her about Meat, but I couldn't find anything and sorry wouldn't give it justice. She kept checking, keeping herself busy. I knew the feeling.

"They're celebrating tonight. To, you know, honor them and their time here." she said quietly.

"Really?"

"Yeah...it's tradition. After a mission, it's what we do. When we lose somebody, we do it to honor what they did for the team."

"Oh. Well that's..."

"I kinda freaked out when Ozone mentioned it. I shouldn't have. Royce would want it this way and of course Meat would. Meat would be pissed if we didn't. I just...it hurts so much."

"Nora...I can't say that I understand, but it will get better. It'll take time, but it will." She looked at me and smiled.

"You and Emma are so much alike. I know she's not fond of me, but she was there for me when I finally broke down."

"Yeah, Emma's a good person. She's like one of those tootise pops, hard on the outside and all sweet and gooey on the inside."

"Hmm...I bet Captain MacTavish wonders how many licks it takes to get to the center." I blushed and she laughed."But seriously, she sat there listened to every word and story I had about the relationship I had with Royce."

"Royce? I thought you were with Meat?"

"Really? Emma didn't act surprised."

"Emma never does."

"Oh, well yeah. Me and Royce. We tried to hide it. So Meat flirted and I flirted back. A little favor to Royce to throw people off, but we after awhile we figured people already knew so me and Meat flirted out of habit. It turned into a game after awhile. He was like a brother to me, as weird as it sounds."

"Oh. Wow, I never would have guessed."

"Yeah...well...thanks for cheering me up Fable, I appreciate it."

"You're welcome Candy."

"Will you go to the party?"

"Can I?"

"Yeah, just let me remove those bandages. I'll give you a pair of crutches."

"Well then, I guess I'll be there."

pov Emma

It was loud. Music blared and the room was filled with cigarette smoke. Everybody was laughing and having a great time. Beer and whiskey was everywhere. Captain MacTavish was playing cards with Candy, Ghost, and Roach. Archer, Sin, and Ozone were doing shots. Ashton was nursing a beer by the tv with Nikolai who had his own beer. Suddenly, the music stopped playing.

"Can I have everybody's attention?" Archer asked as he stood up with a beer in his hand. We all stopped talking and watched Archer. "I would like to make a toast. Meat and Royce were great men and damn good soldiers. To Meat and Royce!"

"To Meat and Royce!" we replied and we all took a drink.

"I would also like to make another toast. I want to take this moment to honor our Captain." Archer said. MacTavish leaded back in his chair with his hands on still on the table with his cards, with a small fake smile. His eyes was the only way you could tell he was surprised. "Captain MacTavish, you put up with all our crazy shit and lead us through each mission knowing we can get the job done. You're faith in us is one of the things that makes you the great leader we know today. To our badass, Scottish Captain!"

We all cheered and drank. The music began to play again and the laughter continued. I watched Captain MacTavish lay his cards down on the table and shake his head at Ghost. He got up and walked out of the rec room. I bit my lip. I looked around and waited until nobody was paying attention. After a few shots and talking to Ashton for a bit, I got up and walked out. I looked around and didn't see him anywhere. The closest thing to the rec room was the gym. So I took a chance and checked the gym. Sure enough, Captain MacTavish was punching a punching bag. His black shirt clung to him as he threw each punch. He stopped and sat down on the wooden bench behind him. He sat forward and rested his arms on his knees. I opened my mouth to say something but I was interrupted.

"Aren't you supposed to be with the others?" he asked quietly.

"I could ask you the same thing. You're missing one helluva party." I replied. He looked over his shoulder and met my eyes.

"What do you want, Miller?" he asked. His voice was rough and cold like steel. My breath hitched at the sound of my last name. He obviously didn't want me to be there. I must of crossed some sort of line being here.

"I figured you could use some company." I sounded so much more confident than I felt. He looked away and scoffed.

"Don't you think that if I wanted company, I would have stayed?"

He was right. He was making it painfully clear that at that moment, I was unwelcome. I shifted my weight from foot to foot. Something I used to do when I got nervous around someone, usually guys. I haven't done it in years. Perhaps it was because after joining the Marines, no man has been able to make me nervous. Until now.

"Go back to the party." he said. He got up and walked back to the punching bag, clearly putting an end to the conversation. I wouldn't have it.

"No." I replied. He froze and turned his head to the side. Then he slowly turned around slightly and looked at me.

"What did you say?" he asked as he narrowed his eyes out of confusion and anger.

"No, _sir_. I'm not going back to the party. There's obviously something bothering you-"

"So you think that since you spilled your guts to me that I would immediately run to you when shit gets to me? I'm not going to open my closet and show you all my skeletons. I don't answer to you. I have to do this on my own. Everything is _my_ responsibility. _You_ follow orders. I'm the Captain-"

"Yes. Yes, you're the Captain. And you're a damn good one, MacTavish." I replied as my eyes filled with tears. "I went to you because you're the Captain. The man I'm supposed t trust with my life. But I went to you, believing you would understand. And you did. It feels great to have somebody to be able to relate to for once. I expect nothing from you in return." He looked away. I clenched my teeth. "Everything Archer said about you is true, but there is so much more that he didn't say. And it's because its soo hard to put the appreciation and respect this team feels for you into words. You do everything you can to get the mission done and get us back in one piece. Sometimes people don't make it, but that's war. You don't have to spill your guts or show me your skeletons. If your the Captain-, no, if your the _man_ I believe you are, then you don't have to, because I already know. Because you're the same Captain, the same man that sat in that office and told me that this team means everything to you. That you know exactly what I went through. I know this effected you, and I just want to return the favor. I want you to know the same thing you made perfectly clear to me. I want you to know that you're not alone on this and it's _not_ _your fault_. I want you to know that, sir." With that, I turned and left.

pov Ghost

I was completely wasted when Emma returned to the rec room. I wasn't sure why she left, but I could guess. She looked worked up and ready to punch someone in the face. I frowned. What did John do? She sat by Archer and did a shot. Ashton sat up and made her way to the door.

"Fable, where are yah goin'? Candy cried from our table. Ashton looked over and smiled.

"Headed to bed. I'm all partied out. I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"Someone should help you. How about you, Ghost?" I looked at Candy. She looked at me mischievously.

"Uh, sure. I guess." Ashton replied. I sighed and got up. We walked out began to head towards her room.

"You don't have to walk me. I'm fully capable of that myself." We stopped walking and I looked at her. Her green eyes were guarded and beautiful. Beautiful? What the bloody hell is wrong with me?

"I know." I replied. I couldn't help but stare at her. We were so close. "I was concerned before. I honestly still am. I hope you prove me wrong. I don't trust you Ashton. Prove me wrong and show me you're worth taking a hit for and that you won't betray the me or Captain MacTavish. I know it sounds harsh, but I'm looking out for the team."

pov Ashton

I just stared. He was obviously drunk, but I knew every word coming out of his mouth was true. He was confirming my fears, however he was giving me a chance to change his mind and prove myself a worthy soldier. I smiled.

"I understand. I'll prove you wrong, I promise." Ghost nodded and staggered a bit. He lifted his hand to my face then brushed a piece of hair out of my face and tucked it behind my ear. He leaned forward and kissed my forehead. Well, kinda kissed. He still had his balaclava on, but it still made me blush like hell. He walked away and for the first time in years, I cared about what a guy thought about me. I wanted to show him that I wasn't what my father wanted me to be. I wanted to impress him. I realized I was actually beginning to really like this guy. It surprised me that this guy was Ghost.


	7. Chapter 7

* * *

pov Emma

A week went by and Ash was finally able to work again. We were in the mess hall on a normal day, eating with Candy. Candy was doing a little better, but she was still hurting. She put on a good front though. She would crack sex jokes and wink and flirt, but then you could see the hurt and sadness in her eyes. Despite how different she was, we bonded a lot since she lost Royce. Ashton tried to help her and talk about it, and sometimes she would talk about it and it would work. But Ashton told me that most of the time she would just give her a sad smile and walk away.

Ashton became more confident and Ghost didn't seem to hate her so much anymore. He actually talked to her during training today, which is definitely a huge change. She seemed determined and actually excited, another huge change since she hates training. I couldn't help but wonder what was with the sudden change. Everything seemed as ok as things could be during a war. There was just one problem. Captain MacTavish.

We haven't spoken since that night in the gym, he won't even look at me anymore. Right when I think I've earned his trust and start to really get along with him, I turn around and fuck it up. What the hell was I thinking? I back talked my Captain. I never forget my place like that. I always take orders with grace and I never follow guys when they stagger off alone in the night, especially when we're both drunk. I have the tendency to do things I normally wouldn't do when I'm around that guy.

"He's staring at you." Nora whispered. I looked up to see her amused expression.

"What?" I asked.

"He's staring at you again." My heart stopped.

"Who?"

"That Army guy that grabbed your arm last week." I frowned. That wasn't the answer I wanted. Of course. He wasn't here right now. He hasn't showed up yet.

"What a creep." Ashton said as she rolled her eyes.

"I know." Nora agreed. I sighed and got up to throw away my trash. Then I walked towards the doors.

"Hey, wait!" a voice called as a hand grabbed my arm. I turned around to see the Army guy that was starring at me. I frowned. Everybody was quiet as the watched to see what was going on. I shifted uncomfortably and looked around. Ashton looked ready to jump into action. Ghost got up slowly and left. I moved my arm away from his hand.

"What do you want?" I asked coldly.

"Just wanted to introduce myself. I'm Private Emerson."

"Sergeant Miller. Is that all?" I asked as I turned away.

"No, wait. Hang on there, doll face." He said as he cut in front of me, blocking my path to the door.

"Excuse me?" I snapped.

"Come on, don't be like that. I think me and you could have some fun. What do you think, doll face?" His friends at the table began to snicker. Everybody was watching, waiting to see what would happen.

"I don't think so, Private. Don't call me 'doll face', I'm your superior, know your place." I said as I narrowed my eyes. He glared back.

"Bet you let MacTavish call you whatever he wants." he sneered. My heart stopped. I felt the blood drain from my face.

"What did you just say?" I whispered, too shocked to do or say anything else. He smirked.

"I said," he replied loudly, so everyone could hear. He wanted an audience. "That I bet you let Captain MacTavish call you anything he wants. I may not be on the Task Force, but at least I don't sleep with my superiors to get what I want. I bet you do it all the time. You know what? I bet you even do it in his office-"

"That's enough, Private!" a voice called from the door. I realized then why Ghost left. He went to get Captain MacTavish. And he looked livid.

"I don't have time for this." I said. I walked around Private Emerson.

"Well, at least I don't let my fellow squad members die." he called. I stopped. Captain MacTavish's eyes widened in shock. I turned around to Private Emerson smirking.

"Private! That's enough!" MacTavish snapped.

"Not only are you a whore who sleeps around with her own Captain, but you're a sorry excuse for a Marine. You let your squad die and wouldn't even help Staff Sergeant What's-his-face when he needed it. You don't deserve-"

I punched him in the face before he could finish saying what I knew he was going to say. The next thing I knew, I was on top of him, beating his face in.

"Emma!" Ghost called. I didn't care. All I cared about was knocking the fuck out of the guy beneath me. Strong arms encircled my waist and pulled me away from him. I struggled at first, but then stopped. Captain MacTavish turned me away from Private Emerson and Ghost was there shielding me from him. Captain MacTavish turned back to the Private.

"What were you thinking? When I say 'enough', I mean it! You have no right disrespecting any of my team members, Private. General Shepherd will be hearing about this."

Private Emerson moved towards Captain MacTavish, but Ghost got in his way and held him back.

"How is she, MacTavish? She's a cold hearted bitch, but her body is nice. Guess that's all that matters, huh?"

"You son of a bitch!" I yelled. I lunged, trying to reach around MacTavish so I could claw his eyes out. He reached out and wrapped his arm around me to stop me as Ashton came up and pulled me back.

"Watch your mouth, Private. You're really asking for it. Get the hell out of my sight." MacTavish snapped. "Walk him out, Ghost."

"Yes, sir." Ghost replied as he grabbed Private Emerson's arm and guided him out of the mess hall. Ashton let go of me as Captain MacTavish turned around.

"Sergeant Miller, I want you to get your hand checked and report to my office. Understood?"

"Yes, sir." I replied. He nodded and walked away. I sighed.

"Come on, Emma. Let's go get your hand checked out." Ashton whispered.

pov Ashton

Emma was sitting on a medical bed, swinging her legs back and forth. She stared at her knees without saying a word. She's been like this for a week, distant and quiet. She completely avoids Captain MacTavish now. I frowned. This was so unlike her.

"Well your knuckles are bruised, but it's nothing serious. You'll be fine." I said as I filled out some paper work. "I guess you're done here." She nodded and hopped off the bed.

"I don't understand how a guy like that would end up on a base like this. Like, seriously?" Emma said, shaking her head.

"No idea. But did you see the look on MacTavish's face when he came into the mess hall? Even I was terrified."

"Really?" Emma asked.

"Yeah he just... I don't know, he just stood there at first. Like he was assessing the situation and figured you could handle it on your own, but I don't think he really heard what he was saying until Private Emerson announced to the mess hall that he believes you and the Captain are sleeping around. He must really hate people disrespecting his team, especially females."

"Or just can't stand being accused of shit he would never do." Emma replied, glaring at the floor. I frowned.

"Did something happen between you and Captain MacTavish?"

"What do you mean?" She asked, looking up at me.

"You guys are avoiding each other like the plague. He called you Sergeant, Emma."

"Yeah, so? That's my rank."

"Yeah but when does Captain MacTavish ever call anyone on his squad by their rank? We have call signs, Emma. So what's going on?" Emma sighed.

"During the party, after the speeches, Captain MacTavish left and he looked... I don't know, troubled I guess. Well, after awhile I went to find him and we got into a fight."

"What about?" I asked, curious. Emma and MacTavish, alone and fighting? Not a good sign. I couldn't help but feel concerned. I didn't want Emma getting into something she'll have a hell of a time getting out of. Especially if it involved hard feelings between the two of them. Emma looked away.

"There were some things we talked about, things in my past. It was the day before the mission. When I saw him leave, I knew that something was up so I followed him to make sure he was ok. He told me to go back to the party and I told him no."

"You told the Captain no? You denied a direct order?" I asked, shocked. Emma winced.

"Yeah, I know. Bad deal. He told went off about orders and I lectured him about how much of a great Captain he is and all that. He got upset about opening up and well after all of that, I left. We haven't spoken to each other since."

"You told him that he was a great Captain?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Oh, nothing. It just seems like there's you two actually do have something going on."

"Oh, God no! Are you kidding me? He's our _Captain,_ Ashton."

"Yeah well, regardless of what's going on between you two, you have to face him eventually. And he does want you in his office as soon as possible, so it looks like you're going to be doing a little sooner than you like, and you have a choice but to talk to him now."

"Thanks for reminding me." Emma muttered.

pov Soap

"General Shepherd will be notified, Private. You disrespected a superior and disobeyed direct orders. What you did is inexcusable." I said to Private Emerson as he stood in my office in parade rest position. I stood I front of my desk with my arms crossed across my chest. Ghost was leaning against the wall to my right. You could feel the anger rolling off of him like waves.

"Yes, sir." Private Emerson said through gritted teeth.

"We warned you, mate," Ghost said with a dangerously calm voice. "Don't mess with our team. We don't stand for this kind of behavior."

"We won't tolerate this. We will discuss-"

There was a knock at the door. I already knew who it was. I suddenly became nervous. We haven't talked to each other in about a week. The mess hall was the first time we really had contact. I could remember the way she felt in my arms when they were wrapped around her waist, almost as if she belonged there. What the bloody hell? I cleared my throat and said "Come in" as I pushed the disturbing thoughts away. Emma walked in and froze. Pure fury crossed her face and I felt a strange feeling of satisfaction, knowing that she hated the man standing in front of me. But just as quickly as it came, it was gone. Her face lacked emotion as she walked up and stood by Private Emerson, and also stood at parade rest.

"Captain, you asked for me." She said.

"Yes, I did. Private Emerson, wait outside for Ghost. You're dismissed."

"Yes, sir." he replied, then he turned around and walked out of the office. I looked at Emma.

"Sergeant, how's your hand?" I asked. Ghost looked at me for a moment then looked away. I didn't think about it, but he obviously noticed that I wasn't calling her by her call sign. Which meant there would be questions I would have to answer later. Damn.

"The knuckles are just bruised, sir."

"Good. I know that what was said was inappropriate and out of hand, however, being a Sergeant in the Marine corps and a part of this team, you should've responded in a less... violent manner."

"Yes, sir. It won't happen again."

"Under the circumstances, it's understandable. Just don't let it get out of control again, Lynx."

"I won't, sir."

"Good."

"Nice right hook." Ghost commented. A smile broke through Emma's mask.

"Thanks, I learned from the best." she replied with a smirk. Ghost chuckled.

"Ghost, Private Emerson is waiting for you, mate."

"Right." Ghost nodded to Emma and left. I leaned back against my desk and waited. She stared at the floor and remained silent.

"Private Emerson will be dealt with." I said finally. She looked up.

"Yes, sir."

"How's work?"

"Good, sir." I nodded.

"How has Nora been?"

"She's... coping, sir. It's hard for her, it will be for awhile. She needs time. Just like the rest of us."

"I'll talk to her, try and help."

"It's a good idea, sir." she said as she looked away.

"How are you feeling?" she looked back at me, shocked.

"I've been good, sir."

"Really?"

"Yes, sir."

"Didn't seem like you were good when you were using Private Emerson's face as a punching bag." she narrowed her eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"He got under your skin. You're still sensitive about the loss of your squad and we just lost Meat and Royce. There's something bothering you."

"With all due respect, sir, I can handle it myself."

"Just like you did earlier? Listen, I'm your Captain, we can talk about anything. That's one of the reasons I'm here. When something like this happens, you talk to me about it rather than taking into your own hands."

"Yeah, great idea. Run to the very man I'm being accused of sleeping with. How would that look? I appreciate your concern, but it would've looked bad. Besides, he deserved it."

"I understand he deserved it. And honestly, I don't disagree with the way you handled it. It's just we are on a base and we are a special force. We have to restrain ourselves. Believe me, I wanted to kill the guy, but I'm a Captain. I have to conduct myself as such. And I don't care how it looked, Emma. You should've came to me."

"Oh sure, because the first thing I'm going to do is open up to the Captain who has been avoiding me for a week. After that fight, do you really think I would go to you?"

I was quiet. Everything she said was true. It would've looked bad. But then again they didn't know anything that was going on with my squad. Not a fucking clue. But she probably wouldn't have thought to come to me after that fight. It was probably would have been the last thing on her mind.

"Look lass, I understand. I'm sorry about what happened last week, You're right, it would've been the last thing on your mind. And the last thing I want is for Shepherd to think something's going on, but I'm still your Captain and it's what I'm here for. Next time, just let it go or come to me. Can't have you fighting every man on base, eh?"

"Trying to keep me out of trouble, Captain?" she asked with a small smile.

"No, I'm trying to save their faces and keep them out of the hospital." she laughed at first, then she frowned.

"Sir...?"

"Yeah?"

"I want to apologize for not following your orders. I was out of line."

"Don't worry about it, lass. We were both out of line. We weren't thinking clearly."

"Yes, sir."

"Well, I need to make a call to General Shepherd. You're dismissed."

"Yes, sir."

pov Ghost

"Did you see the look on his face?" Roach asked Ozone. "He wasn't expecting Lynx to punch him." We were in the rec room with Nora and Archer, watching TV.

"Serves him right. He deserves it for disrespecting one of our own like that." Ozone replied.

"Did you hear what he accused her of? He said-"

"Oi! Why don't the two of you go to the shooting range and let a few rounds fly?" I said.

"Yes, sir." Roach and Ozone replied. Nora watched as Roach and Ozone left then looked at me with concern.

"Did you hear what he said to her?" she asked quietly so Archer couldn't hear.

"The whole bloody base heard it."

"Did Captain MacTavish hear it?"

"Yeah, he pretty much heard everything. Well, mostly."

"And?"

"He's pissed. I haven't seen him like that in a long time. The stupid git made a huge mistake with making the Captain an enemy."

"Do you think it's true though?" she asked.

"Think what's true? The squad thing?"

"No, the Captain thing. Is there something going on?" I frowned. I remembered the look on MacTavish's face when I told him that there was a problem in the mess hall that involved Emma and the soldier we confronted a week before. I personally thought it was going to be MacTavish punching Emerson in the face instead of Emma. Honestly, he probably would have if Emma hadn't beaten him to it. But then again I was glad it was Emma who did it, because if MacTavish was as mad as I think he was, then he would've killed the guy. I sighed and shook my head.

"I'm not sure, Candy. I know that they're not sleeping around, but I know those two have a weird relationship. It's...complicated. He respects the hell out of her, but I'm not sure if there is 'a thing' going on."

"How is it complicated?"

"Not my place to say. Let's just say that in some ways, they're more alike than they think. Too similar, if you ask me."

"Like?"

"They're pasts."

"Oh. Well everyone is talking about them."

"Tell them to piss off. They don't know what they're talking about."

"Well, we know one thing."

"Yeah? What's that?"

"Don't ever piss that girl off."


	8. Chapter 8

* * *

pov Emma

I was hanging out in the rec room with Ozone and Roach, watching them play some racing game. We were waiting for Captain MacTavish and Ghost to give us as update from General Shepherd. A few days ago, Private Emerson was transferred to a different base, although Shepherd wasn't too happy about it. He said it was something petty and that he shouldn't have to deal with this kind of stuff from a squad like this. It really pissed me off. And of course he was more pissed about me actually punching the Private. Which, honestly, didn't really surprise me. I felt like it wasn't really fair, but at least I wasn't kicked off the squad. I was just glad MacTavish had my back. I don't know what would've happened if he didn't stand up for me. I would've been in a lot of trouble, that's for sure. If he hadn't intervened when he did that day, it would've been way worse. I remembered how he wrapped his strong arms around my waist-

"Hey Emma." Ashton called, bringing me out of my train of thought. I blushed, realizing what I was just thinking about and where it was heading. "Guess what. My mom wrote me back."

"Really? That's great Ash." I said as I smiled. I felt a pang of envy. My family hasn't replied to my letters just yet.

"Yeah, she said to tell you hi and that she's doing really good."

"Tell her the same."

"Will do."

Captain MacTavish walked in with Ghost and Ozone paused the game. Ashton had a small smile on her face as she looked at Ghost. I frowned. Now I knew for sure that something was up.

"Alright, we have another mission. We have to infiltrate an oilrig. There will be hostages. After that, we have to go to a gulag and get prisoner 627. I'll brief the people who are going more later, understood?"

"Yes, sir." we replied. He nodded and walked out. Ghost walked up to Roach and started talking while they resumed the game. I looked over at Ashton.

"Wanna go for a run?" I asked.

We ended up running on the track about fifteen later. We were going at a good pace. It was great to have some time with her alone. It felt like forever since we've had time for just the two of us. And I was going to take advantage of it.

"So, how do you like it here so far?" I asked.

"It's not so bad. I actually kinda like it."

"Yeah? Me too. I couldn't help but notice that Ghost isn't ignoring you anymore."

"You noticed that, huh?"

"Yeah, a complete turn-around. What's up with that?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, glancing at me.

"What's going on with you two?"

"I promised I would prove that I belong here and that I'm trustworthy."

"I see. What else?" she looked away, blushing.

"What else happened Ash?" I asked coming to a stop. She stopped and wouldn't look me in the eye. She bit her lip.

"He kinda...I don't know, kissed me, I guess."

"You guess? He kinda...? Ash, he's your superior!"

"It wasn't like that! It was on the forehead. And he was had his balaclava on. So it doesn't really count."

"Jesus Ashton. When was this?"

"The night of the party. Emma, it was nothing. I swear."

"I sure as hell hope it wasn't nothing. What would you do if Shepherd do if he found out?"

"Ok, _mom_." Ashton replied, rolling her eyes. I sighed.

"Alright, alright. I'll back off. But seriously, be careful."

"I will Em. I promise."

pov Soap

We came up through the water. We had help from the Navy to infiltrate the oilrig. Our mission was to save the hostages and make it clear for the Marines. Simple enough. We approached the first door. Roach and I had one door and Ghost had the other.

"Roach, put the charge on the door." I ordered. Roach planted it on the door, then it exploded sending debris everywhere. Smoke filled the air as we breached the room, shooting the Russian soldiers.

"Secure the hostages," I said "Ghost, Roach, let's go. These hostages aren't going to save themselves." We ran through the metal oilrig for our next target. We approached a small room. Again, Roach put the charge on the door and we killed the Russians. The radio went off and all we all heard a Russian voice.

"Sounds like we'll be having company." Ghost said.

"Roach, plant some C4 on the bodies. We're going to Plan B." Roach crossed the room and planted the C4. Ghost disappeared as me and Roach reached our elevated hiding place. "Hold on Roach. Wait till I give you the go and blow them." I whispered as the other patrol approached and entered the room. "Blow it." Roach detonated the C4 and the room exploded. "We have to clear the area for the Marines." I yelled over the gunshots. We jumped down from our perch and ran forward. So much for things being simple.

pov Ashton

I was sitting in my office doing absolutely nothing. Why my father said that this team needed another medic was beyond me. Even Emma had nothing to do. She's been in the rec room the whole time. But everyone was on the edge. Nobody was sure what would happen on this mission. The loss of Royce and Meat was still fresh and it clung to us. Especially with Candy. Before the team left, she went around telling them goodbye and to be safe. Individually. Roach hugged her and told her he would try his best. Then she burst into tears. She walked away without saying another word. It was heartbreaking.

Emma was upset too. She was good at hiding it but I saw it in her eyes, the fear losing more people, more friends. I was pretty sure Captain MacTavish saw it too. He put his hand on her shoulder and gave her a nod. I wasn't sure what it meant but it meant something. Then Ghost told me to make sure the beds were open. Just in case. Which didn't really seem optimistic to me at all.

But at least he talked to me. Before, he wouldn't have said one word to me. Now, he'll make small talk. Which is way better than before. I could still the heat of his lips on my forehead. I blushed at the memory of that night. I knew I told Emma it was nothing and it probably was nothing. But I couldn't help but wish he would do it again or wonder what his lips would feel like on mine. Emma was right though. I couldn't let my feelings get ahead of me. And Ghost could never know how I felt. And Shepherd will never find out about the kiss. Never. The more I came to realize just how impossible this situation was, the more I felt my heart sink deeper into the pit of my stomach.

pov Ghost

The smoke was everywhere. I couldn't see two feet in front of me. And of course we were being shot at. Bloody Russians. I turned and brought up my gun and shot a Russian shoulder in the chest. We had to get this over with and quickly. We were wasting too much time. I moved forward, going deeper in the smoke. This was messed up. A ghost walking through smoke. How original. I could see MacTavish laughing about this later. More shots rang through the air. I was tired. I wanted this to be over as soon as possible.

I came up beside another Russian and stabbed him in the neck with my combat knife. I approached the last room. I set the charge and we breached the room. There was C4 everywhere. We killed the soldiers and made our way to the helicopter as the Marines started to arrive. Thank God, I was ready to leave.


	9. Chapter 9

* * *

pov Emma

It had been forever since the last update. All I knew was they cleared the oil rig and were headed to the gulag. The Navy was supposed to be assisting the task force and we were sitting in the dark while Shepherd was in the control room on the mics. In my place. I couldn't stand being in the same room, or the same building for that matter, as him so I was in the rec room with Ashton watching TV to help the time go by. It was the best thing we could do while we waited for news. Not that I expected Shepherd to actually tell us anything. But I was nervous, and I honestly couldn't help it. Not after losing Meat and Royce. On top of that, I was getting antsy. Too long have I been in the CIA, chained to a desk, waiting for a mission. Every now and then, I would go and do an undercover op but it wasn't ever enough for me. I wanted to be in the action. Sitting here, watching as Ashton flipped through channels was not what I was expecting. At all. The door suddenly opened as Nora glided through. She stopped and looked around. She finally settled her eyes on something satisfactory and moved towards the pool table.

"You guys up for a game?" she asked as she lifted a pool stick and motioned towards the table.

"I'll play." Ashton replied.

"I guess I'll watch. I'm not in the mood for playing." I told her as I got off the couch. I dragged a bar stool over to the side to give them room to play as I watched them break and decide between solids and strips.

"You know, I'm not used to having girls aroung while the boys are out playing." Nora said, starting a conversation to break the silence.

"How'd you survive?" Ashton asked. Nora shrugged as Ashton took her shot.

"TV, movies, working out, and magazines. Honestly, it wasn't too bad. But things have been getting a little more crazy than usual."

"Shepherd really wants Makarov." I said.

"Well yeah, I mean he is a horrible guy." Ashton said as she took another shot.

"Honestly, every guy is horrible in their own special way. Makarov just likes to flaunt it. Well, more like exploit it and over do it. A lot. But he's insane, so that kinda makes him worse." Nora pointed out.

"'Kinda'? Dude, he's a terrorist." I replied.

"Ghost isn't a bad guy. Neither is Captain MacTavish." Ashton shot back.

"We were talking about Makarov, what does that have to do with them?" I asked. She glared at me and I opened my mouth to say something else but Nora stopped me.

"Hold on Emma. Let's go with this. Alright Ashton, you wanna know about them? Honey, Ghost pretended you didn't exist and MacTavish barely talked to Emma at all. Assholes in my opinion." Ashton's face became pink and my brow furrowed.

"MacTavish isn't so bad. He got a bad vibe off of me ad reacted in a way to protect his team." I said as they set their sticks to the side, the game completely forgotten.

"Neither is Ghost. Once you get ot know him, he's alright." Ashton spoke up quickly in agreement.

"But do you really know him? Do you know anything about him at all? Tell me, what do you know about our masked friend?" Nora pressed. Ashton was quiet. Nora sighed. "Ghost never lets anyone in. He has to know everything about you, but you can never know shit about him. I've tried. Its bullshit. The only person who knows is MacTavish." Nora turned away and walked to the TV. "Lets watch a movie!" she said, all traces of the previous conversation forgotten.

pov Soap

Roach breached and immediately started shooting. Suddenly, he was attacked and knocked to the ground with a rifle pointed in his face. I pointed my pistol at the man's head.

"Drop it!" I yelled.

"Soap?" the man asked. My heart stopped. I knew that voice. The man slowly turned around and lowered his gun. I took a step back, lowering my gun as well. The man was old and beaten up. Badly. He was unnaturally thin and pale. It finally clicked with me. _This_ was Prisoner 627.

"Price?" I took him in completely. He was dressed in all blue. If this was any other given situation, I would've laughed. But there wasn't time for it. It killed me to see how gaunt my former mentor looked. But I quickly recovered. Turning the pistol around so the handle faced its true master, I handed it to him. "I believe this belongs to you, sir." Suddenly the ground shook. I cursed. " The naval strike has started! We need to go!" I yelled. Price grabbed the gun and we began to run. Chaos had officially broke loose. We were running down a hallway, and we could see our ride just at the end. We were almost there. With another shake of the building, the ceiling collapsed and the stone blocked us off completely. We immediately turned and began running in the opposite direction until we came to another hallway and turned. We eventually came to a large room with a collapsed ceiling. A few pieces of debris fell and knocked Roach down to the ground. The irony of nearly being killed by such a thing to only having it give you a chance to be saved from all the destruction didn't fail me. It would be something we would talk and laugh about in length at base over a couple of pints. But right now, I had to get my men out of here safely. And I only had one flare left. I caught Price's eye and I knew what I was going to do.

"Soap, whatever you have to do, do it now!" Price yelled as he got Roach back up on his feet. I shot the flare up through the hole and into the sky. I watched as it went up, praying that this would work. The helicopter came into view and relief washed over me. But we weren't out of here yet. The rope was dropped through for us.

"Come on and hook up! This building won't last forever!" I yelled over all explosions. Roach stumbled over with Price and we hooked up quickly. Suddenly we were pulled up into the air as the Gulag was dealt with another explosion as it finally gave way and collapsed. We eventually made our way up to the helicopter and unhooked from the rope. We collapsed and sat there, attempting to catch our breath.

"Well that was fun." Ghost said, sarcastically.

"Price, this is Ghost, my lieutenant. That's Roach, Ozone, and Archer. Guys, this is Captain Price. An old friend of mine."

pov Ashton

We were still watching a movie. Not the same one, but just as weird and girly as the one before it. Nora's taste in movies was...unique. But so was Emma's. I don't know why, but she loved horror movies. Even when we were kids, she would watch Halloween and Friday the 13th like they were cartoons. I guess every family had that one person that's different than all the rest. And if it wasn't her, then it was definitely her crazy ass brother. But before I could dwell on that thought any longer, the sound of a helicopter invaded my senses. Nora jumped up in excitement and ran out towards the helipad. Emma sighed and rose. She motioned me to follow her, and how could I not? Our team was back. Plus, I was curious about this prisoner my father was so worked up about. We finally made our way to the helipad. Nora was standing a few feet away from my dad, practically dancing on her toes in excitement, but keeping her distance away from the General. The team made their way out of the bird and met up with us as we took our place by Nora, Emma standing as far away from my dad as possible. I noticed the stranger the team had brought along with them and immediately assumed that he was the man they were looking for. He was old and dressing in blue. I guess that's what the Russians made him wear during his time with them. He was gaunt...he looked fragile and I couldn't help but wonder why the hell this man was so important. I looked at Nora and I immediately knew I was wrong about her being excited, but rather impatience. She had lost all trace of happiness.

"Like I told _her_ , your assistance isn't required. You three can go." Shepherd said before anyone could say a word.

"Well we're not here to _assist_ you." Emma replied. Roach's face suddenly became contorted, as he tried to keep a straight face. I tensed, sensing how this scene was going to play out.

"Well I'm sure you three have something to do."

"Who the bloody hell are they?" the unknown man asked in a rough voice. I didn't know how to take him. Shepherd turned his attention on the man.

"They're not important. Right now, we need to talk." Emma rolled her eyes. Oh shit.

"With all due respect, _sir_ , we're part of this team too, so yeah, I think we're important." She turned to the old man. "I'm Lynx, this is Fable and Candy. Now, I'll you gentlemen to your debriefing because I have _something to do_." She shot an icy look at my father than walked away. I swear, when that woman is pissed, she turns into an ice queen. If looks could kill, my father would have frost bite and frozen. Nora had made a comment to me the other day about Emma being Elsa's evil twin. And right now, I couldn't help but agree. Nora turned to me with a face so full of shock, I could;ve laughed. Roach was having a hard time keeping it together. Price looked at my father. He smirked.

"Clearly she's part of the team, which does make her important. You surely know how to piss people off." he said. I blanched. Did he just say that? To my father?! Captain MacTavish quickly jumped in.

"I'm sorry, sir. I'll talk to her later." he said, shooting a glare at the old man. I cringed. Emma never fails to get on his bad side.

"Watch it Price. Keep your fucking team on a leash MacTavish." My dad turned and stormed off.

"What was up with that?" Nora asked quietly, though with the silence, her voice practically rang out.

"You think that was bad? You should've seen them at my graduation party." I muttered and Roach finally lost it. He bent over laughing and guffawing while everyone else was shocked into silence. Nikolai looked uncomfortable. I was surprised he didn't choke. Ghost stood by and stared and MacTavish sighed in frustration. That was my que. I took a deep breath and walked away.

pov Ghost

Price watched as Nora quickly followed Ashton. I couldn't tell for sure if Price liked them or not, but Emma sure gave one helluva first impression. And MacTAvish and I both knew for sure he didn't like Shepherd. That was clear. Price finally turned to us.

"Those girls don't like him." He said. It wasn't a question.

"Nobody does." I replied. Price gave MavTavish a look.

"The lass isn't really in that much trouble, is she?" he asked, staring hard at MacTavish.

"No. I'll talk to Emma, but from what I've heard from Ashton, there's a lot of bad blood between the three of them."

"Ashton and Emma?"

"Ashton is Fable and Emma is Lynx. Oh, and Nora is Candy." Roach piped up. He had finally recovered from his episode. Price nodded in acknowledgment.

"Asshole deserved it. I don't trust him."

"Neither does his daughter." I mumbled.

"His daughter?"

"Ashton."

"The blonde?"

"Yep. They were stationed here recently."

"Why?"

"I don't know." MacTavish replied, cutting in. "But they're good assets. Emma-"

"-has claws and Shepherd says she needs a leash and wants to de-claw her. Sounds like she's living up to her call sign perfectly." Roach joked, his mood still high from his laughing fit.

"Shut it, Roach!" MacTavish snapped. I raised my brow. Roach had jumped clean out of his skin due to the sudden outburst. Honestly, I would've too. Price raised a brow and gave MacTavish a look before rolling his eye as the Scott walked away while muttering something about his office. Roach looked confused and walked towards the rec room.

"Soft spot for the lass, eh?"Price asked, looking at me.

"You have no idea. Come on, lets get you comfortable and ready for the debrief, mate."


	10. Chapter 10

pov Emma

Apparently, prisoner 627 was Captain Price and he was MacTavish's Captain and mentor while he was in the SAS. I wasn't sure how I felt about him yet, but its only been a couple of days. He was regaining his strength and Nora was close to clearing him. Which was good for Shepherd. He wanted the men in action as soon as possible. Price agreed to join the team, but he's been giving Shepherd hard, calculating looks. I was getting the vibe that he didn't trust Shepherd. I hated Shepherd, I always have. This went way back, it had so much more to do with our careers. I couldn't help but wonder if the past was clouding my judgement and was causing distrust between me and John. But with Price's suspicion, it only made me more sure that this man wasn't being truly honest. As much as I wanted to fall in line and follow John's every order without question, I couldn't help but remember that John is just Captain MacTavish who follows Shepherd's orders with no thought at all, and that maybe he shouldn't be trusted either. But the more I thought about this, the more I started to get confused. It was to the point where I couldn't tell how distinguish my better judgement and training from raw emotion and pure impulse. I couldn't help feeling completely loyal to the Scottish Captain I barely knew and I knew that it was dangerous for me. I couldn't stop thinking about the incident with Private Emerson, how he reacted and how his arms felt around my waist. Everybody looked at us differently when they saw us together. Archer and Nikolai try and hide smiles, and Roach sends me winks. Price sends me weird looks when he notices, because that old man notices everything. But its not like we're alone. I mean, we haven't even talked much and I haven't really seen him all that much.

Which brings me to another subject. MacTavish has been pretty much nonexistent since Price's arrival. Ghost has been running the training solo and I can't help but be curious about what he was up to. Not that Ashton minded. She's been sending Ghost shy side glances at the guy whenever they were around each other, whether it was training or chow. And she always thinks its subtle, but I've noticed it. Everyone has. Except for Ghost. He's completely oblivious to the whole thing. I think. It's hard to tell, but if he has noticed, he hasn't mentioned it and he gives no sign of acknowledgement. I was starting to think that Ashton wasn't completely honest when she said the kiss meant nothing. It obviously did. But it hurt that she hasn't opened up to me about it. I felt bad for wigging out, but I didn't know how to react. Now she won't even mention it. It was a small kiss, but it was way more than that now.

I sighed and leaned back in my chair. I was currently sitting in my makeshift office, bored, staring at the comm set Shepherd had used during the last mission. Shepherd was staying on base now, and I was upset about being in the same building as him. As it turns out, being on the same base wasn't any better. You would think that there would be plenty of space so you could avoid the asshole. Nope. He will find you and demand that you get back to work. Which explains my current situation, with nothing to do. I didn't have a good enough excuse to give him yet. But I couldn't take the silence no longer. I got up from my seat and sent a silent prayer that I wasn't caught and if I was, I hoped I was quick on thinking of something quickly that he would buy. I made my way outside and noticed how chilly it was outside. The sky was heavily overcast and I was sure it would rain soon. I finally made it to the rec room and immediately wished I had gone to see Ashton instead. Price was sitting on the couch watching the news. I wondered why John wasn't with him but shrugged it off. Knowing there was no turning back now since I was already here, I sat in the armchair and began watching the news with him.

"That's a load of bull." he mumbled.

"I'm sorry?" I asked, confused.

"It's all bloody nonsense," he replied as he motioned to the tv. It was covering the recent events on the war now and I guess I didn't notice. Oh. "This should've been well taken care of years ago."

"Nobody expected Makarov to rise to finish the job."

"We should have." He looked at me with an unreadable expression. "So, you're Sgt. Emma Miller? Marine, right?" I blanched. What? How did he know...? I've never told this man anything let alone had a conversation with him. Then how...? Maybe...Did John show him my file?

"Y-yeah. I was just transferred from the CIA though."

"Really? Shepherd transferred you here from the CIA? You must be important." He wasn't asking. He knew these things already and his eyes were piercing. I became unsettled. Was I wrong about him not trusting Shepherd? Was the person he didn't trust...me?! I decided to just be honest and straight forward. I didn't want to on the bad side of war legend.

"Not really. Actually, all I do is fix things and run the comms sometimes." He narrowed his eyes at my response.

"Huh. Seems kinda odd to transfer someone just to fix things. He could've just had one of him men do that. Someone with your credentials needs to be in the field rather than sitting in a garage." I couldn't tell if he was saying I wasn't needed or that he approved of my presence on the team and just didn't agree with the fact I was forced to stay on base to work. He was suspicious of Shepherd though, and he was testing the waters to see if I felt the same. He was being careful, subtle. I wondered if he went through this with MacTavish.

"Yeah, I guess it is weird." I didn't know how I felt this man going through my file, but MacTavish trusted this man fully. But did he trust him enough to believe Price's suspicions? That's assuming Price even went to MacTavish with it. I decided to change the subject. "So you were MacTavish's Captain?" I asked.

"Yeah, he joined my squad. It was me, Gaz, and Soap," Soap? Was that John's callsign?! Seriously!? "And that Marine squad joined up later too."

"Ssgt. Griggs' squad?"

"You knew him?" he "asked". Of course he knew I did. But I appreciated that he gave me the chance to actually tell him myself. I had a feeling we would get along, especially now that we both knew we were on the same page.

"Yeah, we were on the same squad for awhile before Shepherd sent me to the CIA. We were best friends."

"Good lad. He was a great soldier." I nodded as I looked back at the TV, losing myself in thought until the door opened, revealing a slightly wet MacTavish. Guess I was right about the rain.

"Shepherd's lookin' for you." MacTavish said as he stood there with his strong arms crossed over his tight chest. I really needed get my mind straight I thought when I realized I was ogling my Captain.

"Which one?" I asked.

"Price. He wants to debrief you on a mission."

"A mission?" we asked at the same time.

"Don't you think its a little early to be sending him out there? I mean, he was imprisoned for months and he just got back." I pointed out. MacTavish looked at me.

"Don't _you_ think I know that? But I don't call the shots around here, Shepherd does. And he wants Price on this mission." he said, his voice hard.

"But-"

"Enough, Emma. You've caused enough trouble from your stunt with Shepherd the other day. So, stand down and stay out of his way." he snapped. I cringed.

"Yes, sir." I said as I looked away from him. Price shook his head as he glanced at MacTavish. MacTavish ran his hand through his mohawk and sighed.

"Look, Emma-"

"Hey Emma!" Roach exclaimed as he burst through the door. and he came to a stop. "Oh...am I interrupting something?"

"No, what did you need Roach?" I replied quickly, ignoring the looks on the faces of our Captains.

"Oh, I just wanted to tell you that Ashton wanted to see you." he replied, glancing at MacTavish and still sensing the tension that he stumbled in on.

"Gotcha. I'll be on my way then." I got up and looked at Price and MacTavish and I nodded respectfully. "Gentlemen, if you'll excuse me." I walked out of the building and welcomed the cold air and rain. I needed as excuse to leave and Roach saved me at the last minute. I didn't want to hear what MacTavish had to say. I was worried it would confuse me more and I wouldn't be able to handle it. My emotions were all over the place already and MacTavish has been acting weird since Price showed up. It was almost like he needed to prove something to him or to impress him. But I think that with doing so, he's become bipolar. There's more of an edge to him now. Maybe he felt he needed to be more strict, more like Price...or like Shepherd. My heart sank a little. Hopefully he was confused. Maybe Price would be able to put his head on straight, because the day had finally came when I finally got the urge to punch my Captain in the face. But the real question was if it was because of his change, or from my confused emotions.

pov Soap

"Don't you think you were a little hard on her?" Price asked after the debriefing.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Emma is what I mean."

"Emma is too free spirited at times. Sometimes she needs talked down."

"She has a mind of her own. She reminds me of some people I knew."

"Natalie?"

"No, Ashton reminds me of Natalie. No, Emma reminds me of Gaz. She's not afraid to voice her opinion, Soap. Seems like you've become more strict on some things since you've become Captain, lad."

"It's an important rank. I lead a whole squad, Price."

"Let me give you some advise," he said quietly as he turned and looked me in the eye. "Captain to Captain, if you will. From my experince, of course. Don't let that bullshit get to your head. Whatever Shepherd has told you about what your duty, forget it. You have a mission, then you have a team. Your team are your friends, Soap. At the end of the day, they are the ones that are there for you. No matter what the target is, or what the mission entails, the team sticks with each other. Because they're family. There are two types of Captains in this world, son. The ones that always put the mission first, getting the job done, and pleasing the higher ranks and they will do anything to do it. Then you have the Captains who will do anything to keep their team keep their team and safe. Even if it means failing the mission. You need to listen to those around you and stay connected with your team, lad. Because they are the ones that are gonna save your arse, not Shepherd." I opened my mouth to say something but nothing came out. Price turned around and walked away. I couldn't help but think of Emma as one question came to my mind. What kind of Captain was I?

pov Ashton

Emma was sitting on a cot as I filled some paperwork out. I've been hearing her rave for the past half an hour about how my father is an asshole and how bored she was and that Roach and Archer are constantly competing in everything. I kinda zoned out until our one-sided conversation took another turn.

"Do you think he's ready?" she asked out of nowhere. She's touched the subject here and there, making slight comments and dancing around the subject.

"Emma, I know you're concerned about Price, but there's nothing we can do."

"You signed the papers to clear him too, Ashton."

"Because he's healthy. I never cleared him for a mission. My dad went above my head. The only reason we signed is because it was kinda forced on us. The only person that has a chance to actually do something is MacTavish."

"That's like talking to a brick wall. He never listens."

"Have you tried behaving?" I asked, turning to look at her. She was leaned back with her knee propped up. She threw her hands up.

"What have I done wrong?1" she exclaimed.

"You beat the shit out of a Private, you told MacTavish off, and then you tested Shepherd."

"That's different."

"Emma, we just have to hope for the best. Captain MacTavish won't let anything happen to Price."

"Lets hope so."

"You don't trust MacTavish?"

"I don't trust Shepherd."

"You're always like that."

"Yeah, I know. But its not John, Ashton."

I stared at her. I never heard her call him by his first name before. She was serious. I could see it in her eyes. Her concern ran deeper than just Price. But there was something different. I've only seen that look a couple of times. She was unsure about something, and she wasn't able to cope with it or put her finger on it. She was confused and distant. But I knew. I knew that look anywhere. It explained her rash behavior. She was getting _very_ attached. I wasn't sure before, but now I was sure. Something was going on between her and MacTavish. The way she looked at him...it was so obvious now. And her next statement confirmed my very thoughts

"What if Price can't keep John safe, Ash?" she whispered. Everything clicked in that very moment. It wasn't Price she was worried about. I mean, obviously she was concerned, but not in the way everyone thought. She wasn't worried about John being able to keep Price safe, because deep down she knew the old man could hold his own. No, she was afraid that he wouldn't be able to keep MacTavish safe. That if something happened, Price wouldn't be able to save him. I turned back around to my paperwork.

"Everything will be fine, Emma." I whispered. _John will be ok. He'll come back to you._

pov Ghost

"A missile aimed at the U.S?" I asked.

"We need to leave immediately and shut it down. Roach will be with Price and they'll meet up with your squad. Just like we discussed. I'll be on comms."

"Emma's job?" I asked, looking at MacTavish. He was leaning against his desk, with his arms crossed over his chest. We were all standing in his office, waiting for instructions.

"Price is running this one. I'm doing comms. Emma will be fine."

"Oh, I'm sure." Roach mumbled. John ignored him.

"We leave in two hours. Get ready, gentlemen." Everyone began shuffling around and talking. I headed to the medical building, figuring Emma would be with Ashton since they weren't part of the debrief. I wondered how Emma would take the news of MacTavish invading her space and doing her job. I heard that she wasn't fond of the idea of Price getting put on a mission so soon and she let John know about it. The tension between those two never seemed to ease up and it was suffocating. At least Ashton and I were on better terms. I walked through the building and finally found the people I was looking for.

"Oi! I got some news from Captain MacTavish." I announced. Ashton jumped and turned to look at me while Emma gave me a quick glance to signify that she acknowledged my presence and was waiting for me continue.

"What did he say?" Ashton asked.

"There's a missile aimed right at the U.S. Roach and Price are gonna team up with me and a few others while MacTavish is on comms." I watched as Ashton nodded and Emma give a mere shrug. Something small to let me know she was still listening. "We're leaving in two hours." I added.

"So soon? What about Price?" Ashton asked, full of concern.

"It's a trial run to see if he's ready."

"Trial by fire." Emma muttered.

"Do you know a better way?" I asked, getting defensive and sick of her attitude. Her eyes narrowed at me.

"I do actually, and if people would actually fucking listen, maybe people could be saved during the _trial_."

"I'll keep the beds open." Ashton cut in before I could reply to Emma.

"Good, we might need them." I replied and walked out, but I was able to catch Emma's last comment before I was gone.

"No shit..."


	11. Chapter 11

pov Emma

It was weird to say the least. I had nothing to do, but practically sit there and watch MacTavish on the comms. Personally, I thought that he should be out there. Or me. Not Price. He needed more time. But he took on the mission. Actually, he seemed determined. I just prayed that he came back alive. I was relieved to say the least that MacTavish was here though. His presence kinda calmed me. I was leaning back, watching him. His broad shoulders were tense and he was on edge. His muscles were tight and he kept running his hand through his mohawk. Shepherd wasn't afraid to throw lives away, and Price was no exception. Which meant he couldn't care less about the man sitting beside me. I just wanted MacTavish to see how untrustworthy that man really was.

They would followed him blindly and it made me sick. He could very well send them to their deaths and they wouldn't even know it. But they didn't know Shepherd like I did. So I'm viewed as disobedient. Whatever. I didn't care anymore. MacTavish would learn one way or the other. But I was more worried of how he would in the end. Despite everything, I felt bad for always fighting with MacTavish. He was an honorable man and he was trying to do his best. But the chance of MacTavish actually agreeing with Shepherd's version of things never crossed my mind. Now, that I was starting to think about it, I was starting get worried. Could he actually like Shepherd's way of things? He was absorbed in orders and doing things by the book. He never questioned motives. He wouldn't listen to, wouldn't ever give me the time of day. My stomach twisted. I had a bad feeling.

pov Ashton

Nora and I were playing Go Fish. In my defense, there was nothing to do and we were both bored. Which was a good thing considering our job was to keep people from dying and healing injuries. So yeah, I was playing a child's game with Nora. And I was happy about it. Because that meant Emma hadn't tried killing anyone. And that was impressive, considering the mood she's been in lately. I also wasn't surprised at all when Nora came to me and asked me to play the game with her. Crazy what my life has come to. Playing card games on a military base. Lovely.

"It's times like these I'm glad I have you around." Nora said.

"You mean you're aren't on a regular basis? Ouch."

"Cute. But no, I mean it's nice to have other people from the team around during missions. It's nice to have people to talk to that you can trust. Like how Emma was there when we lost Royce. It was nice."

"You had Shepherd's men around, didn't you? I'm sure it wasn't that bad."

"No, they watch me."

"Well that's why you pull an Emma and knock the fuck out of the guy."

"Oh no, not like that. I can handle myself in those situations. They watched me, almost like keeping tabs. They just, I don't know. I would go to the rec room, and a guy would ask what I was doing and where I was headed and why. It was just weird."

"What?" I asked in disbelief. What the hell?

"I can't really prove it, it was more of a vibe thing, you know? Like a gut, instinct, thing. And they knew my routine too. It got to the point that I was fed up with it and wouldn't leave my office. Royce had to come here to see me or to walk me around base."

"And you didn't tell MacTavish? Did Royce know why?"

"Oh no, once I stayed in my office and was escorted around, I was fine. But I couldn't worry John like that. Royce only knew a little. I couldn't tell him that I was being spied on. That's crazy talk. I just said that I was a little uncomfortable being the only girl on base. I don't think he ever really bought it, but he never questioned it."

"Right. But you leave your office-"

"While the team is on base. You and Emma are always with me now. I think the incident with Emma in the mess hall made them back off, but I have this feeling and its been building up lately. Something is going to happen."

"I know, you think I'm crazy."

"I do."

"But that man is up to something or just very paranoid and has to know everything his Task Force is up too."

"Sounds like him, but I think you're kinda pushing it."

"Maybe. Anyway, speaking of the mess hall, I've been meaning to ask you something."

"Yeah?"

"Are Emma and John...? You know, a thing?"

"Uhm, well, I don't think so. I just think the relationship is complicated. Emma herself is a complicated person. They're fighting all the time, its a mess. Honestly, I don't think he would date someone on the same team. Its not professional, and he's all about that. Nothing against you and Royce, of course."

"No, I understand. John turned a blind eye. He told Royce that as long is I don't wind up pregnant, and kept it between ourselves. It just seems that there's so much sexual tension between them and its driving us all crazy." I looked up at her.

"Us?" I asked.

"Yeah, the team. Roach talks about it all the time. He hates that John and Emma aren't together. Honestly, he's like a little fangirl. He talks about you and Ghost too. But Emma has been acting weird and so has John. So I thought I would ask. I just assumed it was _that_."

"You know, Emma was in here earlier and she was pissed about Price going on the mission. Well, I think that the loss of Royce and Meat really shook her up. She's loyal to John because he's Captain and I think she's scared that something will happen to him and the rest of the team. I don't think that there's sexual tension between them, its just stress. Roach is making something out of nothing." I said, not only to Nora, but to myself. I mean, the thought of John and Emma having a romantic relationship seemed impossible. In our line of work, things like that happen though. I knew a couple of people who found their spouses or significant other on base. It happens.

"That's true. Besides, that man has to have someone back home. He's too gorgeous to not have a girl. Same goes with Ghost. He's adorable."

"Wait, what?" I nearly died. Did she just say...?

"Yeah. He's cute. So is Roach, he's like a puppy."

"You've seen him without his mask?"

"Well, yeah. John and I have both seen his face."

"But you said that he doesn't let anyone in."

"He doesn't. But I've seen him without his mask. I gave him his physical. John's his Captain and has his file. But I mean, they're best friends. So I'm sure John would know without the file. I guess its a trust thing."

"Oh. Wow, he's just a big mystery."

"Yep. Ladies probably swoon at his feet. Do you have a Queen?"

"Go fish."

"Damn it."

pov Soap

"Damn it." I muttered. My drone was shot down. From what I heard so far was that Price and Roach were in position. I just needed to get the other drone.

"I got one, but don't blow it up. Drones don't grow on trees."

"Roger that." Price replied. I hated not being with my squad where I belonged. It wasn't right. "Ghost and his team are coming up on your 12, watch your fire." I waited as they pushed through to the missile, Roach using the drone when it was available. Emma was quietly watching me, and for some reason it made me nervous. But they finally got to the sub, giving me something to take my mind off the beautiful woman sitting beside me.

"Roach, go to the rooftop and give me cover! Secure the building!" Price yelled through the comms. A few minutes passed and it felt like hours. I was getting antsy.

"Price, hurry! The silo doors are opening!" Ghost's voice rang out. My breath hitched. No. They had to stop this. Now. Emma looked at me with wide eyes. My hands clenched into fists. Come on, Price.

"I know." Price replied. My heart stopped. _No_. No _fucking_ way.

"Price. no! Code red! The missile has been launched, I repeat code red, the missile has been launched!"

"Son of a bitch!" I yelled as I slammed my fist on the table.

"Wow. Maybe Shepherd was right. He _really_ needed Price out there. Oh yeah, he's ready for missions alright. That's just great. Nice trial." she said as she shot up from her seat and stormed out. I clenched my jaw in frustration. She really got under my skin. But this was bad. Price was supposed to stop the bloody missile, not do the bloody Russians' job! Whatever was going through that man's head had better be good. I got up and walked out of the building. I watched as Emma made her way to the medical building. I cursed.

A few hours later, Price was in my office.

"Russia is on American soil." Price pointed out.

"So you hit them with a missile? The very missile that was already aimed at them?" I asked in disbelief. "We were supposed to stop that missile, not launch it."

"It'll give them the advantage. They needed the help, Soap. I did what I had to."

"But your orders-"

"I know what they were. I found a better way." I shook my head.

"Shepherd's not gonna like this."

"Shepherd can piss off."

pov Ghost

I found myself in the medical building, yet again. I was standing outside Ashton's door, debating on whether or not to go in. But in the end, I found myself in the same situation I was before I left for the mission. Emma and Ashton were, yet again, talking. Typical.

"We're back." I said, announcing my presence.

"Great." Emma replied.

"John's pissed at you. For a comment that you made, or something like that." Ashton shot her a worried look.

"I'm not surprised. He's always pissed at me. Is he still in my space?"

"No, he's in his office with Price right now."

"Good. I can avoid him now." Emma stood up and left. I walked over and sat down on the cot.

"What did she do now?" Ashton asked.

"Hard to say. But he's having a hard time with everything. He's split between Shepherd, Price, and Emma."

"What do you mean?"

"Everyone has their own opinions. Emma's way of doing things is confusing him more than helping. He's not used to that."

"So he ignores her?"

"He's trying to get a grip on the situation. I don't think he's ignoring her."

"Well, its all about trust."

"Wait, what?" I asked. I was confused. None of this was making sense. John wasn't ignoring Emma, and she did just say she was avoiding him. What the bloody hell was going on here?

"Trust. You have to trust people. And instead of ignoring _people,_ they need to talk about it."

"I guess he doesn't trust her..." I didn't know what else to say. This was weird.

"Do you trust me?" she asked looking at me. I frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"You know all about me, and I know nothing about you."

"Nobody does. That's the way I like it." I narrowed my eyes. This wasn't about Emma and John at all. Now I understood.

"I don't need to know your life story Ghost. Maybe I could just see your face-"

"I'm not taking my mask off." I said as I tensed, my voice like cold, hard steel. Her eyes narrowed at me.

"What are you hiding?"

"I like my privacy, and I don't think that should be a problem."

"Then why-"

"Because you haven't earned my trust. I haven't found the reason why you were put on this base yet."

"I'm a fucking medic."

"Shepherd has other motives and I don't trust his decision about putting the two of you on this base. Even Emma is suspicious."

"You don't trust me because my father made a decision?! What does that have to do with me?"

"You're his daughter-"

"I thought we were passed this?"

"Ashton, whatever he has planned, you are involved. And maybe Emma is too."

"Emma? _Emma!?_ Are you serious? Do you even hear yourself?"

"It's my opinion."

"I think its time for you to leave. _Now._ " she said as she got up and pointed towards the door. I turned and stormed out. I guess it was my lucky day because as I walked out, I spotted MacTavish heading towards the mess hall. I ran up to him.

"John, we need to talk." he stopped and looked at me.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I think whatever Shepherd's hiding, Ashton and Emma are involved."

"Emma and Ashton?"

"Emma is making things hard. Its chaotic. And Ashton...well she's his daughter."

"Really? That's what you have to go on? Ghost, I've known you for years. This is much, even for you."

"Look, Emma and Ashton might not even know about it. But-"

"Simon, you're accusing Shepherd of treason. Think about what you're saying, mate."

"I know-"

"Your just being paranoid."

"Maybe, but he's planning something, John. And whether they know it or not, they're part of it."


	12. Chapter 12

pov Emma

Shepherd had called us to his office. Apparently, Price made a great choice in firing the missile. Also, Shepherd had pinned out two different locations in which Makarov could be. But it wasn't just that, it was the DSM too. Roach and Ghost were taking a team to retrieve it and look for Makarov. While MacTavish and Price went to Afghanistan. We had to be in two places at once. And I didn't like it. At all. My stomach began to twist as a bad feeling started to settle in. I zoned out of Shepherd's debrief for the two squads. All I knew was that I needed to stay on comms. I thought about how odd it was that we were to stay on base on such a big mission when he should be getting as many men as possible to each squad. Something was wrong.

"Does everyone know what they have to do?" Shepherd asked, bringing me out of my daze.

"I think we're all good, sir." MacTavish answered.

"Good, go get ready." Shepherd said, dismissing us.

"Strange. I thought we ended this war yesterday." Price muttered. We walked out of his office, but there was something I had to do.

"MacTavish!" I called. He looked back at me as I approached him.

"What's up?" he asked.

"Something's wrong. We shouldn't go through with this plan. We need a different strategy."

"Look, I know you don't like the man the comms. Believe me, I understand how you feel about that. But that's where Shepherd needs you, so its the only way."

"It's not about that. Shepherd's up to something, I can feel it. You have to trust me." I said earnestly. He sighed.

"Emma, I get that there's a lot of bad blood between the two of you, but that's not an excuse for the way you've been acting lately. I can't trust you when you let emotion and old grudges get in your way and cloud your judgement."

"Cloud my judgement? No, I know-"

"Just let it go Emma."

"No, I'm trying to help-"

"Then know your place!" he snapped. "Shepherd's in charge and he gave you your orders. _I'm_ your Captain and I'm ordering you to drop it."

"But Price-"

"Price is none of your bloody concern, Sargent. _Hes_ following orders. _He's_ doing what he's supposed to. I highly suggest you do the same." With that, he turned and walked away.

pov Ghost

It was actually peaceful in the Caucasus Mountains. Not that I would ever admit that. Or let anyone know I was paying attention to it while we were on a mission. Or at all. I mean, what guy pays attention to that? Yeah, not cool.

"Snipers in position." Scarecrow said as we started to come down the path.

"Strike team go. Engage Makarov on site." I said as my team began down the hill.

"Roger that, solid copy." Ozone replied.

"Let's go, let's go!" we began to approach slowly. I took a knee and Roach took point. We began to follow until landmines came out of the ground. "Ambush!" I yelled as we threw ourselves on the ground before they exploded.

"Look out, RPG!" Ozone yelled.

"Targets! Left side, left side!" I started to shoot at the enemy as smoke began to cover everything.

"They've got this area pre-sighted for mortars!" Scarecrow yelled.

"Counterattack into the smoke! Push, push, push!" I ran in the smoke with my squad right with me. There was so much chaos and I couldn't see a bloody thing.

"Ghost, moving!" Ozone called over the gunshots.

"I got it!" A Russian popped out from behind a tree. I shot him before he had a chance to aim at me. I ran up further and saw the house. "Got eyes on the target!"

"We've got two trucks leaving the target building!" Archer informed me over the comms.

"Don't let the trucks get away!" We opened fire as the trucks began to come down the road.

"Roger, firing Javelin. Danger close!"

"Javelin! Danger close, get back from the road! Bloody hell, these trucks are bulletproof!" We ran back a little to get clear of the trucks as they came down the dirt road.

"Two away!" Archer said. The vehicles exploded. "Moving vehicles have been neutralized. Be advised we have not, I repeat, we have not spotted Makarov, and no one else has left the house. Those trucks may have been decoys, over."

"Roger that, we're advancing on the house now." I replied. We moved forward, towards the house. Russians ran out and began to shoot at us. "Clear the perimeter!" I ran up to a Russian and hit him with the butt of my rifle and shot him in the chest. I ran to the front door and kneeled down. Russians took cover behind the other trucks. Roach came up and cleaned some out. Finally, the perimeter was clear. "Breach and clear the safe house! Go! Go!"

Roach ran up and planted C4 on the front door. We burst through and began killing all the targets that came into view. It was a decent sized house. I ran to the right and cleared the office. "Office clear! Let's go!" We walked through the rest of the main floor. "Ozone, make sure no one leaves through the kitchen." As Roach and I went through the dining room.

"Roger that." Ozone replied.

"Scarecrow, gimme a sit-rep."

"No one's leaving through the front. Dining room clear. Roach, go upstairs and check any locked rooms on the top floor. Breach and clear." Roach ran upstairs. Still no sign of Makarov. I wondered what Emma was thinking, hearing all the commotion, yet not being able to witness it herself. Maybe I was wrong about everything. It was almost over anyway. What could Shepherd plan or even do when it was so close to the end? Once Makarov was gone, everything could go back to the way it was. And what would Ashton and Emma do? Shepherd never has the time of the day for them. Not even for his own daughter. They both despised him.

"Top floor clear." Roach announced., bringing me out of my thoughts.

"Roger that, top floor clear. Roach, go with Scarecrow and check the basement for enemy activity. Breach and clear." I honestly felt like I was repeating myself over and over. I would hate to be the one on comms, listening to all this. Bloody hell, I was tired of listening this and I was the one saying the shit. Sorry, Lynx.

"Basement clear!"

"Copy, basement clear. All clear, squad regroup on me. Scarecrow, photographs." I ordered.

"Roger that." Scarecrow replied.

"Shepherd, this is Ghost. No sign of Makarov, I repeat, no sign of Makarov. Captain Price, any luck in Afghanistan?"

"Plenty..." he replied. "At least fifty hired guns, but no sign of Makarov. Perhaps our intel was off."

"Well, the quality of our intel is about to change. The safehouse is a bloody gold mine."

"Copy that, Ghost." Shepherd cut in. "Have your team collect everything you can for an operations playbook. Names, contacts, places, everything."

"We're already on it, sir. "Makarov will have no where to run." I replied.

"That's the idea. I'm bringing up an extraction force. ETA five minutes. Get that intel. Shepherd out."

"Roach, get on Makarov's computer and start the transfer. Ozone, you're on rear security. I've got the front. Go!"

"On my way!" Ozone replied.

"Task Force, its Price. More of Makarov's men just arrived at the bone yard. Soap, cover me. I'm going to slot that guy over there and use his radio to tap into their comms. Ghost, we're going silent for a few minutes. Good luck in Russia. Lynx?"

"Yes, sir?" her voice rang out through the comms. It was time she's said anything during the whole mission.

"Just making sure you're still with us, lass. Getting everything?"

"Loud and clear on both sides." she replied.

"Good. Price out." Emma and Price went silent again.

"Roach, there's an armory in the basement. Better stock up while you can."

"Already did. I'm good to go." Roach replied as he set up the DSM for download.

"Makarov's men are going todo whatever they can to keep us from leaving with that DSM until the transfer's complete. Use the weapons caches and set out Claymores if you have any left. Defensive positions, let's go!"

"Ready to engage!" Ozone said. I went into the office to cover the front.

"Enemy fast choppers coming in from the northwest." Archer said.

"Roger that. Enemy helos approaching from the northwest."

"We gotta cover the front lawn!" Scarecrow yelled as the helos came closer.

"I'm moving to the main windows!" Ozone replied. He flew past Roach. "I need someone to mine and cover the driveway approach."

"Roach, set your claymores near the driveway and then move back to the house!" Roach ran out of the house quickly.

"I'm in position!" Scarecrow yelled. Russians began to swarm around the house. Explosions were randomly going off, indicating that Roach was successful.

"RPG team coming up from the west!" Archer yelled.

"Solid copy! RPG team coming from the west." Flash bangs were being thrown all over the house. Roach was struggling. I hoped he could hang on. He had to cover the front door, the back door, and the dining room. We needed to get out of here quickly.

"I have eyes on enemy forces moving in toward your position. They're approaching through the solar panels east of the house!"

"Roger that, Archer! Enemy forces coming through the solar panels east of the house!"

"Roger, I'll try and cut 'em off through the trees!" Ozone replied. "Scarecrow's down!" Dammit! Anger flooded through me. We _were_ going to get out of this.

"Use your claymores if you have them!" I yelled.

"We're all out! We having nothing left!" Roach yelled as he threw his last frag.

"Roach! The transfer's complete! I'll cover the front while you get the DSM! Go!" I ran out of the office and covered the front door.

"We're almost to the LZ. What's your status?" Shepherd asked.

"We're on our way to the LZ. Roach, let's go!" We took off down the hill, towards the LZ. We were dodging Russian soldiers left and right. Mortars and RPG's began to rain down around us. Roach got hit and fell to the ground. I ran up to him. "I've got you, Roach, hold on! Thunder two-one, I'm popping red smoke in the treeline. Standby to engage on my mark!" I said as I dragged Roach to safety while he was still shooting at the enemy. This kid had guts. "Thunder two-one cleared hot. Roach, hang in there!" I swung Roach's arm around my neck and helped him walk to the plane. Shepherd walked up to us.

"Do you have the DSM?" Shepherd asked as he put a hand on Roach's shoulder.

"We got it, sir!" I yelled over the sound of all the helicopters. Shepherd's men began to go up the hill. We handed the DSM to Shepherd.

"Good. That's one less loose end." he replied calmly as he brought out his pistol and shot Roach.

"NO!" I yelled. It was like slow motion. I reached for my rifle as Roach hit the ground. But I was too slow. Shepherd turned and shot me before I even had a chance. Pain erupted through me and I fell to the ground. His men dragged us and threw us into a ditch as Shepherd watched, admiring his work. We were being drenched with gasoline when I heard Price's voice through the comms.

"Ghost! We're being attacked by Shepherd's at the bone yard! Do not trust Shepherd! I say again, do not trust Shepherd!"

"What the fuck is going on?!" Emma yelled through the comms. Shepherd flicked his cigar and I felt the heat of the fire on our bodies spread. Gunfire rang out as a Ruassian truck came into view. My vision started to blur. Shepherd and his men took off as Archer and an unknown soldier jumped out of the truck with Ozone covering them.

"Ghost!" Archer yelled. He threw a blankets on me and Roach to suffocate the fire. He went and checked Roach's pulse and sighed. The unknown soldier lifted Roach and ran back to the truck. The smell of burnt flesh made me gag.

"He's barely alive. He might not make it. You both are injured severely." Archer whispered. Russian soldiers started yelling. Archer reached for me and began to drag me to the truck. Ozone and Archer threw me in the back with Roach and the stranger.

"We've gotta get out of here!" Ozone yelled. He floored it while Archer began working on me the best he could. I could hear Emma, John, and Price yelling, trying to sort out the chaos, the fear in their voice was evident. Eventually, Emma's voice was lost. John and Price were left. Price believing we were all dead. I wanted to correct him. I wanted to let him know that we were still here, barely hanging in there, but we were alive. John, screaming for Emma's response tore me apart and Archer cringed. I wanted to comfort my best friend. I wanted to tell him that Emma was strong and she would fight her way back to us with Nora and Aston in tow. But I didn't have the strength to say any of these things. Archer attempted to get through, but they wouldn't work. All we could do was hear the mourning voices of our comrades. Ozone drove us farther and farther away from the bodies of our lost friends and the house I wished I never laid my eyes on. I began to fade in and out. The last thing I heard was Soap's voice, darkened with pain, loss, and rage.

"Shepherd betrayed us."

pov Emma

Nora was with me this time. She was just as nervous about splitting up as I was. But it was boring. Very boring. She had her feet propped up and was reading another magazine.

"Is that all he's going to do? Just repeat everything? Roach, breach and clear. Do it again. Oh wait, you have to do it again. Oh, let's repeat everything Archer says too!" Nora commented. I shrugged.

"Eh, I guess. He has to make sure everyone is on the same page. Ghost knows what he's doing." I replied.

"Price has been off for awhile."

"He said he would be."

"We're almost to the LZ. What's your status?" Shepherd asked over the comms.

"We're on our way to the LZ. Roach, let's go!" Ghost's reply was almost drowned out by gunfire.

"It's almost over." Nora said with a sigh of relief. She got up and walked to the door of the office and looked out one of the many windows. "Do you always keep the garage door open?"

"Yeah, I only shut it at nights so no one can sneak in. I can see the base with it open."

"Yeah- wait...hey Em?" she called.

"Yeah?"

"Why's everyone leaving?" she asked.

"What?" I asked as I turned around.

"Everyone's evacuating."

"It must be a drill-"

"Ghost! This is Price! We're being attacked by Shepherd's men at the bone yard! Do not trust Shepherd! I say again, do not trust Shepherd!" Price yelled through the comms. When Ghost didn't reply, I slammed on the comms buttons. Nora ran back over.

"What the fuck is going on?!" I asked, panicked.

"Emma? Get off base, now! You're not safe! Get everyone out of there now!"

"Ghost?!"

"He's not replying!" MacTavish chimed in. Relief washed over me as his voice rang through. He was ok. He was alive. "What the bloody hell happened?!"

"The whole base is evacuating!" I replied.

"Shepherd's men can't be trusted, Em! Leave! NOW!" he yelled in response.

"What about you?!"

"Just go! Now is not the time to question me, Emma!"

"Where the fuck are we supposed to go!?"

"Take- leave- don't w-" Soap replied.

"You're breaking up. I can't understand what you're saying."

"Em-"

"MacTavish? MacTavish!"

"Run-"

"JOHN!" I yelled as the signal went dead. I sat there in shock. What just happened? John and Simon were gone...John...NO.

"No!" I yelled as I began to cry.

"Emma!" Nora screamed. I turned and saw a few men come through the garage door, towards the office. At us. Shit.

"We have to get Ashton and get out of here!" I yelled. I began pushing the desk towards the door. Nora came up and began helping me. We slammed it against the door. I picked up a hammer and broke a window. Nora crawled through the window first, and as I made my way through, a piece of glass cut through my side. I hissed through clenched teeth as pain erupted from the deep cut. I ran, but a man slammed me into the humvee, my head bouncing off the metal as Nora was tackled to the ground. The man threw me down and held me down as he stuck a needle in my neck. Everything slowed.

"Emma..." Nora whispered. The last thing I remembered was the man grabbing my arms and dragging me.

pov Soap

I was running hard, dodging every bullet I could. Price was talking to Makarov through our comms. I desperately wished it was Emma or Ghost, not the mad man that started all this. Shepherd was cleaning house, Price had said. Which meant the base as well. He didn't say it, but I knew. He didn't have to tell me. If Emma was right and those men were evacuating, then he must've had plans for getting rid of the base. Which explained why the sick son of a bitch made Emma and Ashton stay behind. And Nora. Someone who had never got involved with any of this was to be executed just like the rest of us. Like Emma.

I ran and jumped into the jeep that was waiting for me. Rook stepped on it. I was too shocked to really do much other than shoot at the trucks following us. Nikolai was coming to get us. That's all I knew. Emma disappeared. Ghost and Roach disappeared. _They're all dead, Soap._ Price's voice rang through my ears, overcoming the sound of gunfire. Rage replaced my shock and I saw red. I would mourn later. All of a sudden, the jeep lurched left and I looked over to see that Rook was shot.

"Soap, take control of the wheel!" Price yelled. Nikolai lowered the ramp. "Aim for the ramp!" I did my best, and it was rough, but we made it. I took a deep breath. Emma, Ghost, Roach, Ashton, and Nora. All gone. Not including the team that Ghost had with them. Half of our team. Dead. Regret flooded through me. Emma's warnings, Ghost's suspicions. Everything. All those signs that I ignored. They could've saved us all. I looked at Price. I knew what we were going to do now. It was obvious. Because it was something that we did. Because I was the type of Captain that Price taught me to be. The Captain that'll kill anyone who fucks with his team, his family. And Shepherd was the son of a bitch who chose the wrong Captains to test.

pov Ashton

I coughed. The smell of gasoline was choking me and giving me a headache. Wait, gasoline? My eyes shot open and I looked around. We were in the mess hall. The last thing I remembered was sitting in my office before someone came up to me and the rest was a blur. Emma was to my right and Nora was to my left. We were tied to chairs, in a circle. Our legs were free. Which was careless.

"Well, well. Look who decided to wake up." a voice called. Emma began to stir and groaned. Nora gasped in shock. She began to struggle. "Easy. I worked hard on those knots." the man said as he continued to pour gas on us. The door opened and I had to squint to keep then sun from hurting my eyes until the door slammed shut.

"Finish up, Private. I don't have all fucking day." Shepherd grumbled.

"Yes, sir." The man tossed the gas can aside and left. A sob caught in my throat. My father was going to kill me. _My father._

"Why?" I gasped.

"Why? What do you mean 'why'? I don't need a reason. I put the two of you on this base to keep MacTavish and Ghost off my scent. No suspicions. Just two distractions. And you did your part, according to Private Emerson. Until Price. Then things began to fall apart. Price saw through it and Emma here," he gestured to my left. "Got brave. Too brave. So here we are."

"You wanted us to be a distraction?"

"Three women on a base full of men. Shouldn't have been a problem. Sleep around with the Captain and the Lieutenant. But you managed to fuck everything up."

"Or maybe they're not as thick-headed as you!" Emma snapped. I flinched at the sound of him punching Emma.

"Or maybe they didn't like what they saw. You disappointed me, Ashton."

"So you're going to kill me?"

"You're a loose end, sweetheart. I can't risk it. Its an honorable death. Russians attacking the base and setting it on fire. I'm sure you understand." He turned and walked out of the mess hall.

"He's going to torch us." Emma said quietly.

"There's gas stoves in the kitchen. He probably rigged those." Nora replied.

"We need to get out of here. Now. Before this whole place burns." I said as panic began to settle in.

"Dumbass forgot to tie our feet." Emma said. "This might not work, and it sounds stupid, but its our only shot. Nora, move forward a bit so I can get behind Ashton. The knots might not be that tight, so we're going to try and untie each other. Its a long shot, but whatever." We did as Emma said. It took a couple of minutes because we were still effected by whatever they used to sedate us. Plus, my hands were sweaty. I had a hard time untying Emma's hands. When I finally got it, Nora coughed.

"Its getting really smokey in here guys, we have to hurry."

"He must've started the fire." Emma said as she wiggled to loosen the rope.

"If that fire gets to the gas stoves-"

"We need to get out." Emma broke free and fell out of the chair. She got up and started working on my bounds. Tears stained my cheeks. The smoke was getting heavier and it was getting harder to breath. She finally untied me and began working on Nora. I got a good look at them and how beat up they were. Emma had bruises on her face and a split lip from getting hit. She was covered in sweat and cut all over. Nora was no better. But I noticed that Emma's side was bleeding. I frowned. What had happened? Nora got loose and we bolted to the door. Emma kicked it open and we barely made it before the building exploded.

"How are we getting out of here?!" I yelled. Fire was everywhere. We were stuck.

"There's on old truck that some soldiers use to get supplies from some town. The keys are in John's office." Nora said in a rush.

"Fine! Grab supplies and clothes. Food, anything that we would need and I'll meet you at the truck!"

"It's behind the barracks! Hurry!"

pov Emma

I burst through John's office. Everything was the same from the last time I've been in here. It still smelled like him and there was an empty coffee cup on his desk sitting next to all his papers. A few files were stacked with one laid open. It was almost like he went to lunch and everything was here, just waiting for the Captain to return and continue where he left off. My heart clenched at the thought of him not coming back. I bit back a cry. Tears blurred my vision. walked to his desk. I went through all the papers on his desk, searching for the keys. I accidentally knocked over a picture frame. I picked it up and looked at it. It was him, Price, and some other man. I took the picture out of the frame and continued my search. I came across a black journal with a picture of the Task Force with it. I choked. I couldn't believe this was happening. My world was crashing around me. John was...gone. Something crashed, bringing me back to reality. I took the journal and the two pictures. I finally found the keys and made my way to the door. I turned and looked around one more time. I spotted a jacket hanging on the back of his chair. I knew it was weird and I shouldn't have done it because I really needed to leave, but I couldn't bring myself to leave without it. I ran back and grabbed his jacket and ran back out. True to their word, they were waiting by the truck.

"What is all that?" Ashton asked as she took in the objects I was carrying.

"Memories." Nora replied with a small smile.

"I couldn't just leave them-" I started but Nora interrupted me with a hug.

"I know sweetie." I cleared my throat.

"What all did you grab?" I asked.

"Medical supplies, a little bit of food, and some clothes and blankets." Ashton replied.

"You got all of that?" I asked as I put John's things in a bag. We got in the truck and I put the key in ignition.

"Well yeah, our rooms were in the medical building so it was easy. The food was the hardest. Lucky Nora had a secret stash of granola bars and stuff from her mini fridge she has."

"Damn." I replied as I put the truck in gear.

"You know how to drive stick?" Nora asked.

"Of course I do."


End file.
